Friends...

I'm overwhelmed with anxiety and excitement about our upcoming move. I'm also terrified. I'm leaving everything I know behind. Over the years that we've spent here, I've dealt with so much disappointment and failed expectations.

I haven't seen my mother in months. I have nothing to do with my brother or my biological father's family. I've had to face the fact that I'm just... *different* from them. That's been a hard truth to learn.

So, as we prepare to move to TN, I've been faced with the realization that, aside from my immediate family and a handful of long distance friends, I'm going to be alone. Completely alone. No friends. Noone to call up and say, "Let's go have coffee." I've been worried. Loneliness and I are a terrible combination, though we've met many times. This time I prayed. God please don't let me fall backwards into a dark hole. It's too hard to get out. I've been psyching myself up, promising my kids tons of friends in an effort to manipulate myself to go out and meet people when we get there.

God had a better idea. A really good plan.

I'll rewind. After the hurricane (yes THAT one), we lived in that dirt pit with other families from Oreck that needed a place to stay. One day, this little girl came to my steps are started reciting all the dinosaurs she knew. The list was long. She kept rattling off Latin genus/species combinations and creatures I'd never fathomed. Finally, after some contemplation, I had to ask, "Are you homeschooled?!?"
...and indeed she was. So, began a bit of correspondence between her mother and I. Our families met a few times during those trying months. We even baked Christmas cookies together. Of course, we lost touch as we moved on to bigger dwellings, better times.

A few weeks ago, we ran into the family at Petsmart. The news was grand! They're moving to Cookeville, too! Diane and I have since had coffee and shared all the stresses of the storm and moving and moving AGAIN and homeschooling and life and... let's just say it was great to have someone to talk to. We'll be getting the kids together next week, and we're making plans for Cookeville.

"Kindred spirits," she said.

Thanks God.