A Poem by Courtney

This poem was written by my 16 year old daughter. I know that someday she will meet her dreams and be an author. This poem made me cry...



Moving

How can you box away ten years in two days?
The task seemed impossible.
But nevertheless, the geometric sea of cardboard relics is everywhere, piled on the off-white floor.
A crew of movers will pack the rest of them after their lunch break.
The carpet is smudged slightly with their five sets of grease-blackened boots, but we have a cleaner to take care of that, too.
This shouldn’t bother me. Everything is coming with.
I ascend the wooden staircase, trying not to notice the little white clay marks where nails used to be.
Yep. That’s about where the picture of Jonathan and me was.
Of course, in a matter of days, those holes will be blended into the cappuccino-colored paint.
My room is even emptier than the ground floor. There are dents in the carpet where my bed, cabinet, and other furniture items stood.
I rub the toe of my shoe across one. It’s already begun to fade.
The large, curtainless window tells all.
I feel sort of naked, standing exposed for all my ex-neighbors to see.
I bend down and my knees press into the unforgiving carpet. My knees will probably get dents from the carpet as the carpet was dented by the bed. None of the dents will survive, though.
I grope around in my pocket until I find it.
The charcoal pencil.
With a quick glance around the room, I push back the carpet and write it close to the floor.
Only if you were searching would you find it.
Every letter is etched with care.
B
E
T
H
A quiet hope swells in my soul. No matter where I go, I will never be
Erased

We are Moving

For 16 months our house has been up for sale. Over 100 different families have been in and out of our house during that time wondering if our house was right for them. We had planned to take the house off the market at the end of August to get a break from all the showings, but God had a different plan.

On Saturday afternoon we had a showing. I took Courtney school shopping because I had decided that with only 2 weeks left until our house went off the market we weren't going to move. In fact, my heart was no longer in to getting the house ready for a showing. I didn't do all the last minute "touches" to make our house appealing to others. I really didn't care. I was ready to settle in for a year (or two) and make the most of it. I had my plans and I thought I knew what was best for us and I was striving toward it.

When I got home from shopping Tom told me that he met the family that had looked at our house. They were a homeschool family. My inital thought was, "Oh no. I bet they can see themselves living in this house!" Sure enough, before dinner time we had an offer and our lives began to change.

Now I feel like life is moving much too quickly. Tom and I fly out next week to look for houses, and details are floating through my mind constantly about what needs to be done before our house closes on September 21st.

I am thankful for:

• Ten great years in Little Rock and all the friends we have made here in Arkansas
• A wonderful church that has encouraged us (and our children) in our walk with God
• A faithful God who always has our best in mind (and a plan we can trust)
• Children that don't understand why we need to move but that trust us as parents
• God's hand in all of this and a teenager that is excited about this opportunity
• A chance to serve God as a couple (and family) in Washington with FamilyLife

You can pray for:

• God's peace as we make this transition
• A home for us in Washington
• Sleep---with all the details floating around in my head sleep is extremely difficult
• Safety and protection for us and our children as we travel
• That our relationship as a family will be stronger during this time and that our hearts will grow closer to God
• My health--with all sudden stress the Crohn's disease that has attacked my body for the past 4 years is really flaring up and there are no meds that my body will tolerate to help with the symptoms (You could pray for healing too!)
• Wisdom as we decide what to do for school for Courtney during this transition time

Thank you!!!