Nostalgia From The Bend

I’ve had some pretty deep thoughts going on in my head lately. So it would have been nice to blog about them. But, obviously, I have not. And, now that I am actually sitting down and taking the time to blog, the thoughts are mostly gone, which leads me to wonder what I am actually going to write about….

There’s oh so much that’s gone on these last few (ok, more than just a few) months. My husband’s settling into his new job in the bioenergy field, which has deepened my commitment to recycle more and more. (Here in this town that’s not really a town, we have to actually drive our recyclables to a central drop-off spot and separate them into their appropriate containers. It actually is somewhat of a commitment.) It has also gotten me thinking that I’d like to start composting sometime. I am so proud of him and the job that he’s doing. And I am so in wonder and awe that God picked him up out of the struggle of the automotive industry and put him into an industry that’s exciting and growing. At least once a week, I find myself just thanking God for getting him out of there. Not knowing why He chose to be so kind to us, but thanking Him all the more. He is so good!!

And, in the midst of it, last week I followed my thoughts to my life as it was in South Bend. Since that day, I still haven’t totally returned to the pleasure of life here. I miss my old life in a lot of ways. Don’t get me wrong — there are so many things I absolutely love about living here — the beautiful hills and trees of Wayne and Holmes County, the awesome church we get to be a part of, the great school that Grace goes to, living in the country next to some awesome neighbors, not to mention the number one best part of living here — being so close to our families and all of the many amazing benefits of that. But I felt like, in South Bend I was just settled into my routine (as mundane as it sometimes was) in a more wholehearted way. Mostly, I miss my friends.

“Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.” I have a plaque that says that. (I think I may have written that here in a previous blog.) And that was true of our lives in South Bend. Because our families were four to five hours away, we had to choose some for ourselves. Actually, I believe God chose them. And allowed us to develop those friendships to the point of kinship. I miss them. The girls and I got to go there for about a week in August. We stayed with some of these dear and kindred friends. Oh, it was so great. And it was good to come back to my husband’s hometown, too. I guess I’m just feeling sentimentally nostalgic. I love you, my friends. And miss you.