Homesickness

Missing all these faces right now...

The last few weeks I have been so homesick...the kind of homesickness you feel in the pit of your stomach. The kind that makes you burst into tears at the most random times. I think a lot of the reason I have been feeling so homesick has to do with starting a new job and feeling yet another big change. I am very thankful for my new job, but with it comes the stress of a new thing. I have only seen my parents and brother once since the start of the new year and it was for a mere 36ish hours as we were passing through Redding during our move to Washington. I am really missing my family. I miss the Ellis family a ton too. When I fell in love with Tyler, I also fell in love with his wonderful family. I gained 3 brothers and a sister, not to mention my 2 beautiful nieces. I miss watching Leila and Sadie grow. We have just been through so much change and I am longing for the familiar. Have I also mentioned that we also do not have a Target or a fro-yo place here? (I think I have lamented about it in previous posts, but just thought I'd mention it again.);)

Tonight as I was sitting at the dinner table in tears (I think my tears often seem to surface at the dinner table because it's the time of day that Tyler and I process through our day together) I was telling Tyler that one thing that really helps me with my homesickness is to remember ALL that I have to be thankful for. First of all I have Christ in my life who has and continues to guide me through all of the big changes, a wonderful husband who loves and cherishes me, supportive family and friends who rally behind us even from far away. Tyler and I both have great full-time jobs (many people can't say the same right now) We have food, clothes housing, and transportation (many people on the east coast are facing losing all of these with Hurricane Irene on its' way...definitely saying prayers for them right now). We have the means to do fun things. We belong to an amazing church where we are loved. We both have an education that can't be taken away from us. We are blessed abundantly. Sometimes it's easy to dwell on the not so pleasant things, but when I reflect on my many, many blessings I soon realize how good God is and that He has us right where we are supposed to be.