the year of chrysalis

This month marks one year since we moved back to Michigan after living in Florida for 6 years. It also marks one year that we’ve been living with my in-laws way out in the country. It’s been a year of waiting. A year of wondering. A year of wishing. A year of learning to be patient….for a house to sell, to recoup the cost of the move, to save up for a new house, and now for our new home to be built. If you had told me a year ago that I’d be here, out in the country, occupying 2 bedrooms of my in-laws’ house for over a year, I’d have cried, then most likely screamed the next time I took a shower. I’m definitely not the same person I was when we moved one year ago! I’ve had a couple people comment on how they could never do what we’ve done. I reply that I haven’t either. God has given me exactly what I’ve needed for each day.

I took the kids to our local botanical gardens this morning to see the yearly spring butterfly exhibit. I love to stand by the plexiglass box and stare at the rows of chrysalises and butterflies just emerging. As I stood in awe today of the miracle of metamorphosis, I couldn’t help but think that I’ve been living in a chrysalis the past year. Like a butterfly in its protective covering, we’ve been cocooned out in the country, 45-minutes from city-distraction, all our stuff in boxes -some of it also 45 minutes away in the city, no decent internet connection or cell phone signal, and hours upon hours of driving to wherever we need to go. Life has slowed down considerably from the fast-paced life in the big Florida city. This sheltered state has allowed for so much personal growth and the time to think. The highlights of my weeks have been running on dirt roads and tea parties with the great grandparents. And I’ve loved it. I’ve learned how to be patient, and to appreciate beauty in forms of pink painted sunsets, ice covered forests, and winds blowing through cornfields. My entertainment has been watching the kids fall in love with their great-grandparents over cookies and chocolate milk. It’s been a year of restorative peace. It’s been a year of growth. I’m ready to emerge more beautiful than the caterpillar I was before.

I didn’t intend to be an absentee blogger this past year. But it was necessary – not only out of unreliable internet, but also for my mind to just rest, and enjoy living without having to analyze each day for a story. I’m refreshed. I’m back.