Yesterday was a big day, 3 families moved onto campus. Others moved in last week and I am sure yet others will arrive later this week. I could see the anticipation, excitement, exhaustion, and fear in their eyes. What am I doing here? How am I going to fit my stuff in this apartment? Who am I going to meet? Did I make the right choice for my family?
I remember asking these same questions about 2 years ago. My husband and I moved from New York City leaving behind familiar jobs, a beautiful apartment, very dear friends, and a church we had become particularly attached to. It was a tough decision and I feel fortunate that my husband was supportive of it. I also feel fortunate that he was able to find a teaching job prior to our arrival in Louisvile, I know this is not the case for everyone.
Since their are all sorts of rules about parking in New York - we had to get our stuff in the truck in one day. Everything was already in boxes and two of our friends came to help us get it all in the truck. It was a hot and sticky day and our neighbors were staring at us. We were surprised by some of our neighbors audibly mourning our departure. We didn't know that we had become a part of the fabric of our Brooklyn Complex. We drove to New Jersey that night with our cat and stayed at a motel.
The next stop was a quick visit in Pittsburgh to see my sister and our then toddler nephew. We continued on into Ohio and stayed with my parents there for the night. The last leg of the trip across Ohio into Kentucky proved to be more eventful than we had expected. The truck was slow and laborious. Any small incline proved to be a struggle for such a weighed down vehicle. We were anxious and just wanted to get there. Our cat was really not happy with us at this point.
We arrived in Louisville with expectation and joy! We made it! We opened the door to our new apartment, alone, and after one peek into our new abode I began to cry. The space was a dark, basement apartment lined with tiles, out dated 70's cabinets and furniture, and concrete brick walls. What had I gotten us into? Our old apartment had been beautiful. This one was tiny and dingy. An oversized dorm room. The exhaustion was starting to set in but we still needed to unpack.
We went outside and 4 smiling faces came out to greet us. One of Chris' future colleagues also drove out from Carrollton to help us. The move in was much smoother than the move out. We got everything in before the season's first flash flood. It was like God had opened the skies to say you have made a tough decision, it's not going to be easy, but I am washing it clean to reform you into the person I intend you to be.
Seminary has not been easy and certainly has been challenging. I have changed in ways that I cannot fully explain in a blog post. Two years later it seems remarkable that I am now preparing for ordination exams, my senior year of seminary, will be serving as student body president, and eventually looking for a call. This is the cycle of seminary - one moment you are looking into your apartment crying for all that you have left behind - the next you are sentimental for all the growth that has transpired. All you can do is realize that the wheels on God's truck go round and round to places you never thought you would go before
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