The first day of our new normal

Welcome to Arkansas.  The Natural State.  Surely things weren't this complicated for Lewis and Clark a few years back when they headed west.  Having grown up in what we have been told is "the Promised land"- and most there agree, moving 700 miles away at 38 years old just seems absurd and insane for us to do.  Oh, we have lots of family and friends who have lived all over the globe.  But this is "us".  We just don't do things like this.  I have a kid in 8th grade.  I'm ripping her from all that is good and safe.  We have a 4 year old who will be 12 hours from her grandparents.  I'm leaving a job that I love with all my heart. I love the people I work with and for.  The people I worked with are my "family".  And Daniel, well... he's 38 and fresh out of college.  We have got this all wrong, right?  Not at all.  This is our faith in action. 

I don't pretend to be a Biblical scholar and maybe I won't verbalize exactly that cold chill feeling I get on the back of my neck when I feel the Holy Spirit moving in my life, but I'm going to try because I want to record the crazy feelings we have now so we can remember and maybe, just maybe our Faith and our story of Hope will be a real, visible reminder that God's power is strong, his help is great and his love is bountiful. 
  
It is utterly amazing how fast time flies.  I have a timeline in my head that everything in the past is either before or after my dad died.  That was 1/9/2007.  Since he passed away - I'll admit here before the whole world, I've changed.  Dealing with his passing has been very difficult for me. 

Then comes Annabelle - sent from Heaven above to distract and bless our family immensely.  That was in 2008. 

2008 also marked the beginning and end of life as we knew it.  June 3, 2008 - Daniel absolutely reached the end of his marketable career doing anything physically as he had prided himself on for his entire life.  That summer, through tests, a lot of dr's. appointments and different opinions, he learned that his back was shot, virtually gone.  Refusing to accept this fate, he returned to school. 

Fast forward to 12/15/2012 - graduating from EKU was a capstone to that June day when he felt so defeated, lost and beyond despair.  I was ever so proud of him walking across that stage at now OUR beloved Eastern Kentucky University - because I had been his cheerleader, his encourager.  I had pushed him to the point that well, there were times that I'm sure there was some discord. 

Now, even though I loved my job and we were provided for - times were hard and we had a lot of help.  Just when we didn't have anything to eat, someone would share.  Just when Dan couldn't get to Richmond because gas was nearly $4.00 a gallon, his tank was filled.  Making the difficult decision to sell part of his farm was the most devastating period we went through.  But that my friends is faith.  Not a pity party - it's real faith and it's real hope.  Many times, at the brink of tears, for some unexplainable reason - things worked out.  Often almost immediately.  Again, that my friends is faith.  My favorite time in all the four years was most recently when we literally had .14 to last several days.  Fourteen cents.  And feeling down, I prayed to the Lord to get us through and I praised him for getting us this far and knowing the end was sooooo close - strangely enough, while I cried and prayed that morning, Daniel checked his email.  A grant he didn't know he was getting came through and had been directed deposited.  Even in our storms we praised His name.  We often felt alone and isolated from friends and family we once knew because well… “they can’t afford it” or “they don’t have any money” to do the things we once did with people who we thought were our friends and “family”.  We hadn’t changed, but our socioeconomic status did.  And we were smart enough to understand it. 

Six days after graduation, he was offered a position with Tyson in Berryville, Arkansas.  What?  Razorback country.  Home of Bill Clinton.  On the way to Texas... that's the extent of my Arkansas knowledge.  Who really knows anything about Arkansas? 

We have educated ourselves, found Berryville to be a lot like Lincoln Co - with the exception of the mountains.  Again, God had provided for us.  He has lead us, to this wilderness like Lewis and Clark, with a lot more amenities than they had thankfully.  Since accepting his offer, he has been called for other interviews in this area at other Tyson plants.  It is most reassuring knowing that for some reason, God wants us in those mountains. 

My fear of heights is insane and in the past week, I have literally reminded myself daily of the past four years and how faith has gotten us through and I will get through this.  I will do this. 

So, this is it.  Here we go.. Arkansas or bust.  Thank You Jesus for your amazing grace and your plans for us. 

O Lord, my strength and my fortress, my refuge in time of distress. (Jeremiah 16:19)