Going West...

The end of my five years in Tennessee snuck up on me out of the chaos of the last year. I had dreamed of returning west many times, but finally saying goodbye was harder than I thought. Moving weekend took me to the limits of my stress tolerance. I haven’t been there in awhile. What to keep, what to get rid of, how to pack it, helping the kids with their stress, worrying about Chris’ ability to help out, having to ask others for assistance again, and protecting my baby girl from absorbing too much out of the tense atmosphere. All of that is a lot for an emotional girl to handle.


Overcome with a myriad of emotions, I noticed the beautiful way Tennessee said goodbye to us as we headed west on I 40. A tangerine sun hung from gray-purple clouds. With only the southern hemisphere visible it appeared more like a reflection in a lake. It was dusk, and the fading light mimicked our fading time there. The trees seemed thicker and closer, their green leaves loosing color in the shadows. Billowy folds of mist were flowing over the canopy. Creeping tendrils reached down like fingers towards the base of the trees that bordered the road. It was some of God’s best handiwork.

The following day Kansas greeted us. The greeting was also beautiful, but volatile. Sprawling emerald pastures speckled with bovines and rippling wheat fields stretched for miles. The golden grain will be ready for harvest soon. You can see, and see, and see forever. In the distance, a thunderhead. We approach it as it builds, seeing the unrest in the atmosphere above us. Different shades of white, gray, black, and deep blue-purple swirl in the clouds. An indigo wall cloud, immense and intimidating, seems to take up our entire view out the left window. Pelting rain, gusting winds, exploding masses of hot and cold air - spring in the Midwest. We made it through the storm and arrived safely at home, or at least where we will be staying for the time being. We don’t really have a home currently. But God is good - we left Tennessee with all six of us together. Though we still face a lot of unknown, we have the privilege of waiting in the blessings and promises of God as He prepares us for the next chapter.

Photo by Joshua Ayres

joshuaayresphotography.blogspot.com