After a spring and summer filled with family, special events, travel, and relationships, I returned to Jordan in the midst of transition, and not just the usual transition which takes place after being away from home for a couple of months. This was The Big One: Dear Husband and I returned to Jordan without children, without plans for another year of homeschooling.
The last two months months have been good but different. I expected different, but I just didn't know in what ways they would be different.
I expected to be sadder. I have been surprisingly (to me) un-sad. Though I miss Tayta's daily presence in our house, I have been blessed by her daily presence and joyful spirit via Skype, Facebook, and Instagram. (I refer to my first and new smartphone as my baby-monitor. I was kind of proud that I raised four children without the traditional kind, but now I am very dependent on and loving the smart-phone kind). And, Tayta is thriving in her college experience so far. I give thanks to God for her joyful transition to a new location, new relationships, new studies, new challenges, and new experiences.
I expected that Dear Husband and I would need to take some time to become re-oriented to our marriage relationship and to spending more time together, just the two of us, all.the.time. Happily, that took all of about one day. I was encouraged to find that we merged together as a just-the-two-of-us family quite easily and that we both enjoyed spending more time together with no awkward, who's-that-stranger moments. Our 30th Anniversary, celebrated in June, was the most meaningful one so far, and I'm still thinking about all the meaning in it. Better than a second honeymoon. God is good.
I expected to get caught up on a lot of creative projects that I've had on my mind, and some in progress, for years. I expected to read and write more. These things aren't really happening yet and I'm still trying to figure out why. A new friend recently shared about being transition and she mentioned that her her life rhythms have changed and that she is still getting used to that. Yes! That resonated with my. My rhythms have changed and are changing and I'm still in the process of finding my groove. I wonder if it will take a while.
What am I doing?? People ask me this question all the time now, and I pose this question to myself as well. Lots of different things, which I realize may make it more difficult to settle into new rhythms. The one regular endeavor that I've begun is Arabic study. This is is a very humbling undertaking at 50+ years of age, not to mention having lived in the Middle East for 27 years, but I am enjoying it. I'm enjoying more time for relationships outside the home, some with other women, and some with couples as I join with Dear Husband in spending time with others. And, I'm going to bed before midnight. That is a good thing.
And as for my blog: I plan to keep blogging, but perhaps I just need to adjust to my quotidian life a little more before I know how to do that. In the past years I have blogged a lot about my family and home life, and that is what has changed the most--at least as far as everyday life goes. I enjoy keeping in touch with friends and family through my blog, sharing recipes, pictures, etc. and just last week Dear Husband, as he scrolled through past posts, commented that he was really thankful that I had blogged over the years; a lot of memories, a lot to give thanks for.
The last two months months have been good but different. I expected different, but I just didn't know in what ways they would be different.
I expected to be sadder. I have been surprisingly (to me) un-sad. Though I miss Tayta's daily presence in our house, I have been blessed by her daily presence and joyful spirit via Skype, Facebook, and Instagram. (I refer to my first and new smartphone as my baby-monitor. I was kind of proud that I raised four children without the traditional kind, but now I am very dependent on and loving the smart-phone kind). And, Tayta is thriving in her college experience so far. I give thanks to God for her joyful transition to a new location, new relationships, new studies, new challenges, and new experiences.
I expected that Dear Husband and I would need to take some time to become re-oriented to our marriage relationship and to spending more time together, just the two of us, all.the.time. Happily, that took all of about one day. I was encouraged to find that we merged together as a just-the-two-of-us family quite easily and that we both enjoyed spending more time together with no awkward, who's-that-stranger moments. Our 30th Anniversary, celebrated in June, was the most meaningful one so far, and I'm still thinking about all the meaning in it. Better than a second honeymoon. God is good.
I expected to get caught up on a lot of creative projects that I've had on my mind, and some in progress, for years. I expected to read and write more. These things aren't really happening yet and I'm still trying to figure out why. A new friend recently shared about being transition and she mentioned that her her life rhythms have changed and that she is still getting used to that. Yes! That resonated with my. My rhythms have changed and are changing and I'm still in the process of finding my groove. I wonder if it will take a while.
What am I doing?? People ask me this question all the time now, and I pose this question to myself as well. Lots of different things, which I realize may make it more difficult to settle into new rhythms. The one regular endeavor that I've begun is Arabic study. This is is a very humbling undertaking at 50+ years of age, not to mention having lived in the Middle East for 27 years, but I am enjoying it. I'm enjoying more time for relationships outside the home, some with other women, and some with couples as I join with Dear Husband in spending time with others. And, I'm going to bed before midnight. That is a good thing.
And as for my blog: I plan to keep blogging, but perhaps I just need to adjust to my quotidian life a little more before I know how to do that. In the past years I have blogged a lot about my family and home life, and that is what has changed the most--at least as far as everyday life goes. I enjoy keeping in touch with friends and family through my blog, sharing recipes, pictures, etc. and just last week Dear Husband, as he scrolled through past posts, commented that he was really thankful that I had blogged over the years; a lot of memories, a lot to give thanks for.
10 comments:
Thank you for sharing your heart. I look forward to hearing more about this transitional time in your life and what our good God is teaching you in it.
Thanks, Angie. I'm enjoying this part of the adventure, but transitions, ahh--I'm guessing that you can relate! I'll be thinking of you Saturday when I help Wendy and friends translate for visiting doctors for a medical clinic near Mafraq. I'm brushing up on my medical vocab this week!
I'm in a transition season too -- all two of my children are in a nearby college, with one graduation in ... eeek, a month and two days ... and in the hunt for a job. the empty nest will be in flux during the next few years with school breaks and finding apartments, I think. Finding out where God is putting me is something I am looking forward to, and also praying a lot about. There are so many things I want to do!
I can relate, Carolyn--I'm praying a lot too and I and there are so many things I want to do. That's a good thing, I think. Some years ago one my my children asked me, "Mom, what are you going to do when we all move away?" I have some ideas...:)
I love this sentence in your blog "happily that took all about 1 day"... At times I dread change and other times I look forward to just the 2 of us. We still have a few more years to go with only 1 child that left the nest so far but I'm encouraged by your story and what to look forward too (maybe not the learn Arabic again though:-)Blessings on your finding your new groove!
I would love it if you continue to blog! You have a talent for Writing! Our children are 13 and 15 and sometimes I think about what it will be like when they move away! I pray that we will live close by, but you never know! My parents did not live in same country as their parents, my husband does not live in his native country, my eldest sister is living in Jordan....Oh, well... I would like to learn Arabic properly, to read and write, and I would love to learn Japanese, (I know about five sentences, but that will not take me far...). It would be nice to read about what your children are doing know: studying, working and it would be nice to hear about what they think of how it was to move from Jordan to USA; cultural diffences and maybe shocks!!Are any of them thinking of moving back to Jordan??/From a chilly Stockholm S Susan
Thank you for your encouragement, Susan, and for giving me some ideas for some things to write about in the future! I plan to keep writing, but just haven't felt sure what direction it would take. I don't know if any of my children will end up back in Jordan but a couple of them are seriously considering working overseas.
Great that you plan to keep writing!! Hm, not sure what overseas mean?? For me living in Sweden I am not sure of what sea that is??/S Susan
More accurately, over the ocean :) but in we Americans say overseas. Two of my children are thinking of returning to the Middle East, so for them, over the Atlantic Ocean.
Aha! Understand now!/ S Susan
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