Seasons

I've heard it said many times "there is a reason for everything" or "it's just a season". Have you? It couldn't ring truer for me right now.

Last weekend our family went and visited the town I grew up in Northern Minnesota. The weekend was filled with mixed emotions as I intruduced my family to people who meant the world to our family growing up and showed my family the home we lived in, the window I used to sneak out of, the woods my brother and I used to build forts in, and the trail we would ride our bikes down and harass golf players to buy golf balls from us. I ran into the father of my best friend growing up who lived just down the road from us and got an update on my dear friend that I have searched for but never could find!

We jaunted briefly across the Canadian border so the kids could get their first stamp in their passports.



We saw many bald eagles on the way in which Ben affectionately started reciting The Pledge of Allegiance to each time he saw one (we saw 2). Perhaps this is his following of his mother who seems to burst out in "America the Beautiful" at every 4h of July fireworks show.....but I digress..



It was an awesome weekend.

In many ways, the weekend was very healing for me. See, growing up, I did not make the best choices. My perspective was that I was doing normal small town stuff. My family decided that it was in my best interest for me to move to Wyoming to live with my aunt and uncle just before my junior year of high school. Leaving at that time, for me, was very traumatic and I've had this dark cloud over that part of my past for a long time.

I gave a brief presentation to my little home church I grew up in. Many people attended that I remember from growing up. Many people I spoke in front of about how Africa has wrecked my life prayed for me during those tumultuous years and I had no idea. Prayer works, people.



Coming back as an adult to the town that partially haunted me was a good thing. It gave me a different perspective. Hearing people's memories of me-joyful memories- was so healing, as my perspective and belief about myself was always so negative.

Looking at my oldest son and seeing that I was exactely his age when I moved to this town and having this sense of things coming full circle was amazing.

There is a season for everything. I'm thankful for the seasons HE has taken me through and I'm thankful for the season I am in now.

God isn't done with us yet. He is not finished working in our hearts. Some things he continues to sift me and refine me to be more like His image.