The Move: Round One

Tuesday, February 12, 2008, 9:20 p.m.


Has there ever been a more functional appliance invented than the Mac PowerBook? I’m typing this blog entry on my Mac as my wife is driving the ole’ Dodge minivan on I-35 and our beautiful daughter is watching her hero, Dora the Explorer, on the screen in the van.

The family unit (minus the two Jack Russell Terriers) is taking that long trip down 35 to San Antonio for the last time. Tomorrow morning (after we drop Ellie off with her Aunt Chelsea and Uncle James in Austin tonight) Sarah and I will begin cleaning behind the movers as they pack up all of our possessions and prepare to move them north.

This ride at night from North Texas to South Texas with a move on the brain brings me back to the night we moved from Longview to SA. We arrived in SA in the middle of the night, bone weary, and found a hotel to stay in that night. The next day our closing was an absolute nightmare. Fortunately, it all came together and by the following evening we were all moved in.

Fast forward two and half years: we are on the road, at night, preparing for another move.

I hate to admit it but I am emotional about selling this house. I suppose my emotions are primarily sentimental. The house we are about to sell tomorrow contains a great many memories for us as a family.

This house was the first house that Ellie ever lived in. I’ll never forget those last few weeks of the pregnancy and then of Ellie’s birth. I don’t have the words to describe how it felt to bring Ellie from the hospital into her new home. That house contains so many “firsts.” First bath, first crawling, first steps, first words, etc., etc.

The house also came to represent several different things to me. First, while we lived there I learned that church really could be done differently and wonderfully. The house came to represent hope, vocationally speaking.

San Antonio was the first stop for us where we had real friends in our community. We had tremendous neighbors and incredible friends from the church. We had all kinds of gatherings at our house, from folks coming in from out of town for TMEA to the youth from the church. So many good times! I hope those friendships will endure. Our home was really a place of peace, comfort, and community. Tomorrow is going to be bittersweet.