A Moving Friday Five...

From Mother Laura at RevGalBlogPals...

We are right in the middle of a move--only twenty minutes away, but we're still a mix of busy, excited, nervous and surprisingly full of grief about what we're leaving, for me at least. So this week's Friday Five asks about your experience of the marvels and madness of moving...

1. How many times have you moved? When was the last time?

I think I have moved about 22 times, but I may be forgetting one or two. The last time was about 6 months ago.

2. What do you love and hate about moving?

I love the newness and freshness of being somewhere new. What's much less wonderful is packing everything up, living amongst boxes, the weirdness of being somewhere new, and the difficulty of finding what you need when it now not where it "used to be".

3. Do you do it yourself or hire movers?

I have very rarely done it myself. I have paid movers, I have solicited help from friends and the last three times had LOTS of help from family members.

4. Advice for surviving and thriving during a move?

Get outside, away from the mess, a lot. Soak up everything wonderful about nature and lose yourself in it for minutes at a time or longer to temporarily soothe away the stress.

Release yourself from responsibilities like cooking, entertaining, etc. Go out to eat and get away from the house for a while.

Be prepared to live with chaos for a while. It isn't possible, or even wise, to try to get it all unpacked and tidy immediately. When you do start to get things in order, elicit plenty of help.

Take Airborne or plenty of vitamin C. People get so stressed out during a move that they sometimes get sick right after getting settled.

Say a thorough goodbye to the place you're leaving. Take pictures if you haven't already.

Take time off work--at least one day more than you think you'll need.

Get extra sleep and drink plenty of water!

After it's all been done and you're completely unpacked, it may still feel weird for a while. Be patient with yourself and your family.

5. Are you in the middle of any inner moves, if not outer ones?

I think so, but I'm only vaguely aware of what they are. As my wife likes to say, I'll keep you posted as events warrant :).

Bonus: Share a piece of music/poetry/film/book that expresses something about what moving means to you.

My last move is what comes to mind here. I was forced to move because of my landlord's decision to sell the charming Victorian I was renting. I had lived there for 4 years and loved it. I could not imagine living somewhere else I would love as much but knew I had to deal with it and find a place.

I am ever so grateful for the way it turned out and I love my new place!

The movie I'm reminded of, I think, is Working Girl. The last scene where Melanie Griffith calls up her friend and says, "you'll never guess where I am!" and her friend gives this big whoop of joy, jumps up and throws up her arms. That ending moves me every time because she expected and was prepared to live with so much less than she got!

And the theme song ...

It's asking for the taking
Trembling, shaking
Oh, my heart is aching
We're coming to the edge
Running on the water
Coming through the fog
Your sons and daughters...

It's good for both internal and external moves

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rCPwhC6R8A

Are we Christians?

We were on the way home from church this afternoon, and my 7-year-old son asked me if we were Christians. He had heard something during children's church that prompted the question. So I gave him a short list of qualities I associate with being Christian ...

Having a relationship with God

Following Jesus & His teachings

Wanting to be more like Him

So, I asked if after hearing that, he thought he was a Christian and he said no. he also didn't think that I was, either. We talked about why but his answers were bewildering. He described what a "relationship" would look like and agreed that we both did those things, but he wouldn't budge that we weren't Christians.

I said that the label wasn't that important but that I was puzzled by his saying that he didn't think either of us had a relationship with God.

Eventually, we got to the bottom of it: he was afraid that if we were Christians, we'd get killed the way Jesus did!!

I quickly did what I could to allay that fear, but an hour later (we discussed it at dinner), I am still surprised at the things he finds to be afraid of! It tells me that a sense of safety needs to be a main target for healing.

Anyway, the verdict is in: he guesses we're Christians as long as it's safe!