Why I am here

This title seems fitting as I sit here to write my first blog. Julie has moved to Tennessee, and I have not. You may be surprised (only if you are one of the three people who have yet to say this to me) that in the rush & busyness of packing and readying, the phrase I have heard repeated most often is "So when are you moving?" Sometimes I have wanted to scream"NEVER!", sometimes it's "hmmm, we'll see", but mostly it is "move where?" Firstly, I firmly believe that one should answer a question with a question whenever the opportunity or your wit allows (it is part of the whole "mad" thing). Secondly, I am learning that even though I love my sister dearly and would prefer to live near or with her always, what I prefer and what is best are not always the same thing. God has moved her and He has let me stay (for now). So, in the crazy mix of emotions of this aftermath I celebrate her adventure, I give thanks that my place is here, and I miss her like a one-eyed cat misses its one eye.
So, in case you don't know me, this is why I am here. 1) My sister and I are separable. What keeps us afloat is not each other but the same Spirit who gave us to each other. 2) I love California. For anyone who knows me, those are strong words. I have only "loved" one place and that is Papua New Guinea. But looky here...it seems I must be growing up. My heart is expanding to allow new places and new people to enter. I should also mention the area I live feels very much like PNG, which is partly why I love it. 3) I hate change. These are also strong words, but I mean them because as Jake Winter says "Words mean things!" Here is my theory. I am too practical to enjoy change. I think through all that change means before it happens, and it honestly is daunting. The work, the saying goodbye, the saying hello, the lifting, the planning, the falling through of plans, the details...not my idea of a good time. 4) I am stubborn. I only want to be moved by God. I do want to be moved...actually, to be honest I want to be willing to move. But for now I am saving up my sanity for the right time. 5) I am a long distance runner. If I were a horse I would be the rather large clydesdale type that works slowly and steadily from sunrise to sundown, not the thoroughbred race horse that whips it's magic in minutes around the race track. I like to take my time in a place. This is actually just a theory since the longest I have lived uninterrupted in a place is 7 years. So here goes my "stay put".
Three cheers for madness about moving! Hip Hip....