This World is not my Home - John 14:1-3

Warning: Another deep thinking blog post. (I have to call these deep thinking blogs because I feel very vulnerable writing personal feelings on a blog. But sometimes you feel compelled to. Back to superficial and goofy tomorrow.)

First - you know a place is not your home when you are awakened by laughing Swiss DJ's (they always sound goofy because they speak in a lighthearted way that normal Swiss do not) followed by Queen singing "We Are The Champions." I always liked "Champions" followed by "We Will Rock You." My earliest memory of all that goes back to about 5th grade gym and banging on the benches - but I'm getting sidetracked.

Euro'08 starts today and the Swiss will play that song until they actually start the matches and get their you-know-what's kicked by the rest of Europe. They may suprise us but there are not many high hopes by the realists in the country. They are just happy to have made it - the UK National team didn't make it to the dismay of the English Football/Soccer fans at the girls school.

Second - and to my point of today's post. It was brought back to my mind the feelings I have about moving our family around (my part of it, not speaking for Bart - whose Firm is actually moving us around) by a post I read this week. The blog is written by a young worship leader in Mass. whose husband is in Seminary and she often misses 'home' which is several states away for her now. The commenter's all discussed how far away they are from 'home'(all over the world so it's always interesting to see). I did mine in travel time to our immediate family members in DC, MN, CA and HI. We're rackin' up the air miles!

I can't say we actually have a home in the States as we sold ours, chances of moving back to CA or IA are slim at this point and we're don't have a single place that we say "here - we want to be right here!"

I know a lot of people who buy their homes and plan to live there for as long as they can. Kids go to school in the same district from K-garten to High School and then go to their parents Univ. alma mater, etc... I've never felt like that. Sometimes I wonder if something is wrong with me BUT -

I always come back to some verses I learned as a child.

"Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go and prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." John 14:1-3

These verses are Jesus's comfort to the disciples as they know He is going somewhere but they haven't figured out the whole plan yet. He also says "Follow Me."

A friend who is now back in NY and also the only one of her family to move around shared my feelings. I am not fully comfortable or satisfied with anyplace here because I know it's isn't my ultimate destination. My ultimate destination will come later.

So for me, it works to move around. I love experiencing the new places, good and bad, and learning as I go. Our girls are learning alot too. We may worry a bit going back re: schooling as the format here is quite different. There might be extra work or adjustments in certain things. But they (we) have learned so much about adjusting to circumstances even when uncomfortable, about really listening to people - you have to in order to understand what they're saying, understanding that no one way is particularly right for every situation and about going forward even when there are butterflies in your stomach.

We are still attached to family and friends. Hopefully this blog and our trips home help. Even if we only get to meet for a day or 2 with people, it's still a connection. We just don't get to share our daily lives, live and in person. I'm not always the best communicator. I wish I were different in that respect BUT it sure is busy being a mom and all the stuff that never ends that goes along with it (like LAUNDRY!!!).

So if someone asked me where home was, I'd have to reply:

"My home country is the UNITED STATES of AMERICA but my home is in Waedenswil - because that is where Bart, Rachel, Kendra and my bed are. And then later, I'll go on to my real home in Heaven."

But if I HAD to pick a place, maybe here,

or here

or here -Mountains or Ocean. Tough decision - would like to split it half and half during the year! Starting to sound like 'SnowBirds.'