Our Military Move: Living in the Chaos

We aren’t new to military moves. This is actually one of many but all are different. This particular one, though, we received very short notice we were officially moving. To make it even more interesting, not only are we moving but my husband is heading overseas. With less than a month’s notice we needed to go through our entire house and downsize because we are only given a certain amount of weight. We had to separate what would be going with me back to West Virginia from what my husband would take overseas with him. Then we had to set aside the things we would need for our trip back east.  I also forgot to mention that while my kids are homeschooled, they are in activities and this is a busy time of year for those activities. We didn’t want to pull them out to soon either. Needles to say life has been interesting and very hectic. We also have had farewell dinners and get togethers.

Most military kids reach a point where the moving becomes increasingly difficult on them.  Bookworm has reached that point during this move. He has made friends, watched them move, made other friends and now we move.  For those who don’t know, Bookworm is my oldest. He is 10 years old and also has aspergers. Making friends is not the easiest for him but in the last year or 2 he has done remarkably well reaching out and joining in.  He loves our church here, the activities he participates in, and his friends, but he also loves his family back home too. He finally understands what I said one day about being caught in between two worlds. This move has been the hardest on him. I have talked to him and told him that everyone we have been so blessed to meet is truly a gift from God. It is always a blessing even if it is just a season to get to know others and form relationships with them. Who knows in my kids’ life when they will be placed back with those they have met at various points in life.

Instead of cutting ourselves off near the end, we have chosen to live in the Chaos.  Yesterday, as packers were here finishing packing up my house, a friend stopped by and took my boys for a play date with her kids.  Today the packers are here and I am using it as a time to still teach my kids. Bookworm is a bit emotional today because he doesn’t do well with change. He will be fine once we get on the road a bit, but the in between and being off his routine does affect him, but he is learning to deal. He has cleaned and helped dust, ate pizza off a packing box for a table, and learned to just roll with it.  All the boys have very little toys out.  For several days my youngest two have played with just a handful of toys, yet they are still alive and well :). They have realized that if one brother has two toys and the other has two toys, together they have four.  They run in the yard and live care free.  They got to go on the moving truck and see where their toys are, and they have done all this with very little electronic entertainment.  We have had some fighting, boredom, and just plain being tired, but they are also learning that life does not revolve around them.  They are learning that sometimes they are on someone else’s schedule. We don’t always get what we want, and to live life in the chaos you don’t need a million toys.

Tomorrow we go to their year end celebration for AWANA and see them get their awards.  We will eat and fellowship and say good-bye to another club.  We have more play dates this weekend and celebration time with friends.  Sunday, when most could do a million things on their last day, we will be in church. We will go early for the Mother’s Day Breakfast, stay for the services and we will enjoy our church friends who have became our family.  There is no other place I would rather be than in our second home, living life in the chaos with those who know us well and love us anyway.

So the next time you are faced with chaos,  choose to live in it.  Sometimes things in life are just out of our control. However, there is one who always has a plan – plans to not harm us, but plans to bring us good. Let Him lead through the chaos.

In Christ,

Laura