honesty

I always appreciate when fellow bloggers share an honest post or two.  Cyber-world (blogs, facebook, etc) can make life seem rather rosy.  I totally understand it - you want to remember the good times, the memories worth remembering.  It's a beautiful thing, to remember the good and let go of the bad.

The truth is, I was pretty adamant about never living 'up north' again, and definitely never ever again in Virginia.  All of those dreary gray days and the seemingly never ending winter/spring were just too much for me last time.  Not to mention, I was quite attached to our first real 'home' in Texas... our 2 years at Fort Hood being the longest we've ever 'settled down'.  So when he first proposed the idea of willingly returning here, I said no.  No way.  Not gonna happen.  

Yet here we are.  The opportunity was just too good to pass up - earning a Master's degree while still getting paid plus a break from the deployment cycle.  Somewhere along the way (probably after spending 5 of our 25 hours of moving crying), I decided to let go and see what God had in mind.  I learned that He is a great Healer.

As my feet crunch over the leaves on our walks to school, I realize that 4 seasons are actually kind of fun.  (I'll remember to revisit this post come February!)  Like the many Army wives who have gone before me, I realize that regardless of where we go, I'm still surrounded by those most precious to me.  It might take time, but I can hammer and paint and sew any house into a home.  It's the people who are irreplaceable.  And if I let them, the memories can be smiling ones as well.

Virginia is where we first learned that Camille would join our family, and where we first heard our sweet little Lila Therese's newborn cry.  Maria still holds fond memories of the 'cow museum' and is eagerly awaiting snow!  (And is still the bestest biggest sister ever.)

I'm ever so thankful that there is a God bigger than me, who knows better than me what it is that I need.  I'm thankful that Virginia no longer holds a tainted place in my mind.  I'm thankful for my Catholic faith, that has led me to an amazing group of women at St. Joan's.  I'm thankful that regardless of our current longitude, latitude, these silly people come along and keep me laughing... and guessing!