To, Not From

We signed the papers for the sale of our house today.  All of our furniture has been sold, given away, or spoken for.  Our kids are sleeping on Thermarest mattresses, our clothes are in piles on the floor.  We have sold our truck and our van, and we move out of our place on Sunday.  The difficult goodbyes have started.  

We are in a season of lasts.  Last day of preschool.  Last time seeing this person, that person.  Today Pat had his last day of school after 13 years at Pacific Academy.  

The emotions are big and real.  We are each showing our stress in our own ways.  We have been absorbed in what we are leaving behind.

And then this evening we were reminded of what we are moving towards.

We went to dinner with past, former and future staff of SPH (our school in Indonesia).  Sharon, who planted this crazy idea in Pat's head in the first place, invited us over for a bbq to meet with other SPH staff members who are back in BC for summer holidays.  

It was one of those dinners where people you're meeting for the first time greet you with a heartfelt hug.  Where reunited people squeal in excitement to see each other.  Where we sat on blankets and borrowed lawnchairs because Sharon is moving and her furniture has already been moved out, but she hosted anyways.  Where the stories and the excitement flow freely. 

And we remembered why we are doing this whole thing.

The letting go and the leaving behind are hard.  But we are not running away from anything.  We are running towards something.  And that something is good.