There’s a saying that goes “When you make plans, God laughs.”
And well I have to agree… I was born with it encoded in my genes to be adverse to change. There are those people who are jump straight into a pool without thinking twice and those who take 15 minutes because they go step by step into the pool to get used to the water. Needless to say I was not, and never have been, a jumper.
Or if you had me on a scale of flexible like playdough to hard like a rock, I’d probably be considered a diamond. Not because I’m a Delta Zeta and that’s our symbol or because diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but because chemically they are the hardest rock on the planet. The bonds of the carbon are quite literally set in stone (and yes, pun intended).
My mom would be happy to tell you about how I cried for the first two weeks of being dropped off at kindergarten or how much I hated public high school. I even remember sitting through my orientation for LMU and hating it. It’s the change thing, I may not like it, but living just off the continent off of Africa has made me good at it whether I like it or not.
When I was installed at site last September I thought - This is it! This is home! Little did I know that God had other plans. I was saved from that job and that also entailed moving houses. And after 6 months at my current house and job I got a call that I was being let go, meaning I was back to hunting for a house and job yet again. After the initial shock and panic, things have started to fall back into place. Today I move into my 5th new house since I arrived in Madagascar a year ago and I recently started a new job at 2 new schools.
I’m tired, exhausted, and so used to change that it’s become my new norm, but I’m still here and I’m more in love with my students than I thought was possible. Although I’m hoping for the next year I can call one place home, I’ve learned to live life day by day and sometimes hour by hour. It’s amazing to see how far I’ve come. I think to the core I’m still a diamond, a true planner at heart, but maybe now I can claim I’m a diamond covered in playdough, flexible enough to roll with the punches.
Sometimes I think God gives us the same challenge over and over until we learn the lesson we are supposed to. And sure, it’s taken a few times with this lesson… But God, in case you haven’t got the memo, I think I got it this time!
 |
| Moving day! Yes, that's an oxcart pulling my furniture! |