I know I haven't posted in forever...it seems harder to get on the computer when you're not living in your own house. Which brings me to my point: yes, we are still not moved back home. The bathroom project seems to be dragging out ad infinitum thanks to plumbers who don't show up and more plumbers who only work 1 hour every 3 days...but the good news is that at least we have finally made some forward progress. I think.
(Obviously this is not a picture of my house...I just thought it was awesome though)
And I have to admit that as great as my parents have been, I am really starting to get kind of homesick. (Mom, if you read this post, please don't get hurt feelings, because I SO appreciate everything you've done for me, and love getting to see you more...) It's just that no matter how nice the place you're staying is, it's not your own home. When I first got married, I was really quite homesick for my old room and the house that I grew up in. It took a long time for me to not say "I'm going home" when I was talking about coming over to visit my parents... The first night we got back from our honeymoon and drove past the exit that went to my parents' house, I had to fight hard not to cry. But it's funny how things change in 5 years. Now my house, even with all its horrible faults and tribulations, is what I think of as "home." When it's not rotting or falling down or killing us, I actually do love my little house. It's comfortable, I know
where everything is, and I can find my children within 30 seconds of realizing they're missing... I know the carpets are stained and the walls are all colored on, and my furniture doesn't stay nice because I have little kids...but at least I don't have to worry about it because its all mine. And if they destroy stuff, well, it wasn't that nice to begin with, so it really doesn't matter so much! ;-)
It's a funny feeling, living here again, because everything is the same yet different. My parents remodeled everything a few years ago, and the basic structure of the house is all the same ,but its all updated and nicer. We're staying in my old room - the room I spent every night in up until the day I was married - but its not the same. All my stuff is gone, the walls are a different color, the furniture's all changed- even the ceiling fan isn't the same. And it really made me realize that, as much as I love it here, this is not my home anymore.
Thinking about how homesick I get has also made me think a lot about my "permanent" home - you know, the one that's waiting for me in heaven. It's funny to be homesick for a place you've never been...but that's kind of what our lives here on earth are like. We live here, but it's not really where we belong. (Mom, your house is lovely and I am not comparing it to the world! It's an imperfect metaphor...) Everything the world has to offer is incongruous with everything we believe and value. I guess that's comforting, because there is so much evil and terrible stuff here in the world that I will never understand and don't want to. I look forward to going to my "real home" someday where everything finally makes sense. Jesus said "I go to prepare a place for you..." It's so exciting to think He's got my house all picked out and is getting it ready for me to come live there. Sometimes I get impatient, wanting to go live there now and cease being a "stranger in a strange land." But then I realize that I need to live this life so I can get myself ready to live there. I have a feeling I wouldn't fit in very well yet, which is why I'm still here. And, just like the most important part of a home is the people who live in it, the best part of my home in heaven will be getting to live there with Him: "for now we see through a glass, darkly, but then face-to-face!"
(Obviously this is not an actual picture of heaven...I just thought it was beautiful though)
But until then, there are lots of good things about life here. And even more good things about living here with my parents until our house is ready. I enjoy not cooking dinner every night, for sure! ;-)
