My MI Anniversary

Last Friday marked the 10^th anniversary of our move to the Great Lake State. A decade. Three thousand six hundred fifty-two days. A bazillion seconds. No matter how you count it, it’s a long time.

Y’all know the story – Sean got transferred, we packed up our stuff, our three babies and ourselves and moved 800 miles away from everything I’d ever known, loved and held dear. The novelty of the move wore off quickly and it felt like my life was over.

I know that sounds melodramatic, but dang, y’all, I was a mess. It didn’t help that it snowed on my first Michigan birthday. In late April. Snow. On. My. Birthday.

If 44-year-old Christy could talk to 34-year-old Christy, she’d say, “You only think your life is over. Yes, you’re crying daily right now, but in the very near future you’re going to meet some great people. You will have a church family. You’ll go to lunch with dear friends. You’ll have people to pray for and people who will pray for you. You will not always feel like you do right now.”

Younger Christy wouldn't have believed Older Christy – she would have kicked her out and told her to keep her rainbows and sunshine to herself…

HT: Rant Lifestyle

Sometimes we just have to live through stuff. I lived through the days, then months, then years, and all of a sudden, a decade had passed. And Older Christy was right: I have lovely friends; I have a wonderful church home; I have people to pray for and people pray for me.

Perspective is a wonderful gift. Problem is, we usually don’t have it until we've lived through a whole bunch of crud. And it’s hard to claim someone else’s perspective as your own. But if you’re going through a bunch of yucky, please cling to my perspective: it really won’t last forever. Things do get better. Not overnight. And it might take years. But it will get better.

If you need some hope, cling to mine. And pretty soon, you’ll have your own to offer someone else.

So, Michigan, happy 10^th anniversary. A really sweet anniversary gift would be some spring-like weather. So if you could get on that, I’d appreciate it.