I am Grateful

I am so grateful that we made it safely to Wisconsin! After several very long days, Nick and I are sitting in Virginia Tech stadium chairs in our new living room taking a few minutes to not care if there is something more productive that we could be doing.

In all honesty, the trip could have been much worse, and I prayed as we encountered our various obstacles to be grateful for all things including: witnessing a hit and run in Ohio (where we waited for an hour to give a statement only to be told, once we asked, that it was not necessary); Traffic delays in Cincinnati due to the lack of power; rerouting in Indiana due to flooding; and the most boring stretch of road known to mankind as we drove almost the entire length of Illinois.

I am grateful to not be driving anymore. I am grateful for the crisp fall air. And, I am grateful that Nick and I are able to give each other the space we need (so far) to grieve and celebrate in our own ways. Tonight we sat in Caribou Coffee for an hour debriefing, as we waited to go pick up mom and Noah. We are in agreement that what we struggle with the most is the lack of familiarity. With no furniture yet and all the decent hotels booked up because of a conference we were trying to sort through our options for tonight. In the back of my mind, I kept thinking that I should just call a friend and we could sleep on their couch. Only, there are no friends.

I am grateful that by the end of the day today the route from our house to a few local places was becoming familiar, and that I was able to see the faces of two people that I love tonight when we picked up Mom and Noah.

Noah has had a fever of over 102 tonight. It is the first time his fever has bordered on serious. It scares me to think that he could need a doctor before I've had a chance to find one I like. But, I am grateful that his temperature went down after a bath and that now he and mom are both sleeping peacefully. I am grateful for a quiet house at the end of a long day, and I am grateful that because we found a futon we could afford we don't have to sleep on an air mattress or in a sketchy hotel.

Finally, I am grateful for time to work out my thoughts. I believe I am as much at home typing away at these keys as I am walking into 810 Welton. Sometimes, I think I am actually most comfortable with myself as I write, and I watch as my vulnerability, humanity, and bits of creativity come together in this one place. I am grateful that even when I write to no one at all, I can write for myself and God still hears my thoughts.