Isaiah has really been missing home lately. The initial excitement and adventure of all the new sights and sounds and things to encounter has worn off a bit, and he has been struggling now with things just feeling a bit uncomfortable. As a mom I want to validate his feelings and acknowledge the challenges of such a transition while still keeping a healthy challenge before him to enjoy this place and cultivate a heart of gratitude (something I still need to be challenged on myself often!).
I had started writing this yesterday, and then last night Isaiah asked me how many years we were going to stay here. I said I wasn't sure but at least 3. I asked him how he felt about that, and he said, "I just want to go back to America," and he had a little cry snuggling up in my arms. I fully believe that this is good for our family, and I know there are things that even he loves here, but it is so hard to see my sweet son struggling. My heart hurts when he is sad. So, I fight a battle inside myself--that tension between wanting to spare my children from all hurt and heartache and make them comfortable but wanting the richer and deeper and fuller things in life for them that often don't come from what is easy.
On a lighter not, since we've been talking about the things we miss from America, I thought I'd share a few of mine here:
* milk (cow's milk that I don't have to boil myself and tastes the way I am used to)
* cheese made from said milk
* ice cream made from said milk (I'm a bit attached to my dairy products!)
* friends and mentors from L.A.
* family--while I haven't lived close to my family for many years now, this distance feels harder
(Sorry to put dairy products above people! It's stream of consciousness not a statement of priority, I promise!)
* fall (let's be honest, though, I missed this in L.A., too!)
* Target (While it drove me totally crazy at times, it was so convenient to drive 2 minutes and be able to purchase nearly anything I wanted in one stop.)
* having a car (I would never feel comfortable driving here, but sometimes I miss the convenience it brought.)
* my comfy mattress
* apple cider
* clean sidewalks
* a wide variety of tasty produce all year round (I got really spoiled on this in Southern California!)
* Mexican food
* our pediatrician
* toilets that flush well and generally smoother plumbing systems
* a clean supply of water that we don't have to worry about
* knowing how things work and where to get things and where great places are (This is just part of adjusting to ANY new place, especially after having lived in one area for a long time before this.)
I'm sure there are more, and I have moments of feeling a bit jumbled still and missing people and things from "home," but this time has been a much easier adjustment for me personally. I knew much of what to expect, and we have had so much help, and while I miss a lot of things, I am also really thankful for so many things here as well, so I shall make another list of some of the many things that I'm thankful for about living here:
* amazing people (I am continuously blessed by the incredible people we meet here. I had made some friends before who are still here, and there are more that have come, or that I am just now meeting. There are people from so many places and so many walks of life who have come here, and I just find most of them to be really fascinating and wonderful people! One family in particular that we had gotten to know just a bit the last time we are here are just a huge blessing and answer to prayer in friendship for us and for the kids and for just processing life with! I'm also super thankful for my very, very dear friends Tom and Alana who we are thoroughly blessed to get to share life with in this season and place!)
* the business and its office (We are really so thankful to be part of what we feel is a really cool vision in this business and a great role for John, and we love living close to the office and getting to know the workers and being able to share lunch there together with so many great people who work there and their families.)
* our home (A blessing beyond what we could have imagined! Even a yard!!!)
* pace of life (Things take much longer here, and that can be hard to adapt to, but people just don't try to cram as many things into a day, and that is nice to have some release from what often can often feel too full and scattered and unfocused. Life is a bit simpler here, in that respect.)
* house help (Staying home with the boys and being able to really enjoy them and do the things I want to do with them, it is really SUCH a blessing to have someone who works in our home to keep it clean and take care of much of the daily tasks here.)
* a new language and culture for our whole family to learn and live in
* very kind and gracious Nepali people who are patient with our lack of understanding of their language and culture and dote on our kids and help us navigate life here
I'm sure there are more things on both lists, but those are a few of the things. There will be ups and downs, challenges and victories. We are learning (and sometimes more stretched than others) to make this our home.
I had started writing this yesterday, and then last night Isaiah asked me how many years we were going to stay here. I said I wasn't sure but at least 3. I asked him how he felt about that, and he said, "I just want to go back to America," and he had a little cry snuggling up in my arms. I fully believe that this is good for our family, and I know there are things that even he loves here, but it is so hard to see my sweet son struggling. My heart hurts when he is sad. So, I fight a battle inside myself--that tension between wanting to spare my children from all hurt and heartache and make them comfortable but wanting the richer and deeper and fuller things in life for them that often don't come from what is easy.
On a lighter not, since we've been talking about the things we miss from America, I thought I'd share a few of mine here:
* milk (cow's milk that I don't have to boil myself and tastes the way I am used to)
* cheese made from said milk
* ice cream made from said milk (I'm a bit attached to my dairy products!)
* friends and mentors from L.A.
* family--while I haven't lived close to my family for many years now, this distance feels harder
(Sorry to put dairy products above people! It's stream of consciousness not a statement of priority, I promise!)
* fall (let's be honest, though, I missed this in L.A., too!)
* Target (While it drove me totally crazy at times, it was so convenient to drive 2 minutes and be able to purchase nearly anything I wanted in one stop.)
* having a car (I would never feel comfortable driving here, but sometimes I miss the convenience it brought.)
* my comfy mattress
* apple cider
* clean sidewalks
* a wide variety of tasty produce all year round (I got really spoiled on this in Southern California!)
* Mexican food
* our pediatrician
* toilets that flush well and generally smoother plumbing systems
* a clean supply of water that we don't have to worry about
* knowing how things work and where to get things and where great places are (This is just part of adjusting to ANY new place, especially after having lived in one area for a long time before this.)
I'm sure there are more, and I have moments of feeling a bit jumbled still and missing people and things from "home," but this time has been a much easier adjustment for me personally. I knew much of what to expect, and we have had so much help, and while I miss a lot of things, I am also really thankful for so many things here as well, so I shall make another list of some of the many things that I'm thankful for about living here:
* amazing people (I am continuously blessed by the incredible people we meet here. I had made some friends before who are still here, and there are more that have come, or that I am just now meeting. There are people from so many places and so many walks of life who have come here, and I just find most of them to be really fascinating and wonderful people! One family in particular that we had gotten to know just a bit the last time we are here are just a huge blessing and answer to prayer in friendship for us and for the kids and for just processing life with! I'm also super thankful for my very, very dear friends Tom and Alana who we are thoroughly blessed to get to share life with in this season and place!)
* the business and its office (We are really so thankful to be part of what we feel is a really cool vision in this business and a great role for John, and we love living close to the office and getting to know the workers and being able to share lunch there together with so many great people who work there and their families.)
* our home (A blessing beyond what we could have imagined! Even a yard!!!)
* pace of life (Things take much longer here, and that can be hard to adapt to, but people just don't try to cram as many things into a day, and that is nice to have some release from what often can often feel too full and scattered and unfocused. Life is a bit simpler here, in that respect.)
* house help (Staying home with the boys and being able to really enjoy them and do the things I want to do with them, it is really SUCH a blessing to have someone who works in our home to keep it clean and take care of much of the daily tasks here.)
* a new language and culture for our whole family to learn and live in
* very kind and gracious Nepali people who are patient with our lack of understanding of their language and culture and dote on our kids and help us navigate life here
I'm sure there are more things on both lists, but those are a few of the things. There will be ups and downs, challenges and victories. We are learning (and sometimes more stretched than others) to make this our home.
2 comments:
My friends who moved to cambodia this year ALS very much miss target. =)
I am visiting la in November and am so sad that I will not get to see you there! But it is quite fun living vicariously through all my friends abroad.
There are days that are more difficult than others for me, missing you so much. Distance has been an issue for a long time for us, but somehow this is huge distance, not one that I can navigate in a matter of a few hours whenever I decide to do so. October break was difficult without visiting you in LA. There is also a huge part of me though, that is just so excited for you being there - having this wonderful experience with your family and living life with amazing people. It is where you are to be now. Adjustments take time, but it is a wonderful life lesson.
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