The second half of August is always a fun time in our house. We have two birthdays to celebrate, my husband’s and my son’s. We always seem to end up at the beach even though we have never done vacation the same week, ever! And we reminisce over some great memories from the August’s of years past.
This year we timed our vacation right in between the birthdays which was nice so we were able to be at home to celebrate. It also was unique this year because we went to Wilmington for an entire week. That sounds so weird to say, I mean we have been to Wilmington a lot, and we even lived there! But as strange as it seems when we go visit it is typically for a weekend so we really enjoyed having a full week there.
We stayed in a condo for the first time as well, on the beach, so it was a great trial run for one of our potential future retirement ideas! Another cool thing about this trip was that it coincided with an important anniversary. Three years ago we made one of those many weekend trips but took some time for job interviews while we were there. We were chasing a dream that I’m not sure either of us thought would become reality; yet less than two months later we packed a uhaul truck and headed south!
A lot has changed in three years, most importantly us! And that is a good thing! We are learning more and more not to question things because even though more often than not things don’t make sense; they really do happen for a reason. I don’t think either of us have regrets about making that move in 2018 nor do we have regrets about coming back. At the time and in the months and years that followed it was where we needed to be. The future? Well who knows!
One thing I can so for sure, is to live your life and make memories, every day! I am preaching to the choir when I say you have to find contentment where you are. Trust me it’s hard, that’s why I’m currently doing a bible study on that exact topic. But if you can’t be happy where you sit then you can’t expect to find happiness anywhere else either. I’m not certain that we are in our forever home, even though when we bought it just 9 months ago, I was totally certain. That is life for you!
The water is a place that both of our hearts find peace. We certainly love Wilmington but we starting to explore other areas that we enjoy as well. Until one of them calls us to it or God picks us up and puts us there, well we will stay planted right here in Virginia. This gives us treasured time with our kids and our granddaughter and for now that’s where we feel we should be. Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in the dreaming and planning for the future that we miss out on the present and that is something I do not want to do.
I hope as summer winds down that you are finding peace and contentment too. If not then take some time to slow down and seek it. Grow where you are planted and open your heart to see where God wants to plant you next. You may be meant to bloom right where you are or you may be reaping the benefits of all the nutrients that your current spot is giving you. Quiet your mind and open your heart to LIFE and just enjoy it. If the last two weeks have shown us anything it’s yet another reminder to not take a single moment for granted.
~Carla
Arise and Glow 