the moment they said goodbye to the vacationers that became friends as they formed a sort of club out of the huge hole they dug on the beach behind their beach house.
after saying goodbye to all their california friends weeks before, this proved to be the straw that broke the camels back.
i went home and held three sobbing children's as they begged me to help them find friends in hawaii or to take them back to california where they know where the friends are.
this moment.
it was painful.
it was real.
i know it will mean something.
my children now know what it means to not have a friend.
i know this to be a very important thing to be able to grasp.
i HATE watching them go through it,
but i know deep down in a place made out of trust and faith that God will use this experience to make them into who he wants them to be.
i know it.
future "needers of friends", you are welcome.
my kids now know how to sympathize with you and find kindness in their little hearts for you, based on their own experiences.
i, on the other hand, want my mommy.
i'm so sorry.
ReplyDeletewatching our kids hurt is always the worst.
i'm excited for the day that you post their beautiful, smiling, happy faces hugging the necks of their new friends.
because i know it will happen.
good thing Jesus is a friend that goes with us no matter where we are.
xo
i have been reading your posts of late with such compassion. we are 6 months post cross country move. so many similar emotions and experiences here. i love what you had to say today about God using these for His glory and their good. but man is it tough. know you are not alone! xoxo
ReplyDeleteOh yes they will have that compassipn and empathy now. God uses all things. Praying the friendship cup will runneth over for all of you very soon.
ReplyDeletemy heart hurts for them. my very empathetic heart. my parents picked me up from everything i knew and loved, my sophmore year of high school, and moved me to the country. looking back, that really was the hardest part of my adolescent years. i am thinking and praying on your babies. xoxo
ReplyDeleteBless their little hearts. This will be my girls in less than 3 weeks. :(. Have you thought about finding a MOPS group? You can go until your youngest finishes kindergarten and all I've ever been to have allowed the older homeschooled siblings to attend as well. My 2nd grader is homeschooled is year and she loves being a nursery "helper" at MOPS. When we lived in Hawaii we attended the Pearl Harbor MOPS group and I do remember a few civilian mommies attending. Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteoh gee, thanks, for this, shauna ...because i just put on fresh mascara and my face is now streaked and i am a hotter(NOT the good kind) mess than i already was. oh, how hard it has to be for the reed kids right now but you're right, it will mean something and have a big effect on their lives in the long run. but most of all? im sorry you don't have your own mom now when you probably need her most.
ReplyDeleteAw, this makes me sad for them. Especially because I've been in their shoes. When I was 11 we moved from Michigan, where all our friends and family and everything we knew were, to Idaho, where we knew nobody. Making friends was hard. Really, really hard. But I can tell you, 25 years later, that those friends I did struggle to make are still my best friends today. Praying for you & your kiddos today!
ReplyDeleteAs a child we moved every two years and never just within the same town- firstly around Australia, where we are from, then across the world to Stockholm (Sweden), then Copenhagen (Denmark), then back to the southern hemisphere to New Zealand and then back to Europe to Cardiff (Wales, UK). It became my routine of childhood- packing up, saying good-bye, starting over in a new place. As an adult I have stuggled with not moving and just staying in the one place for the past 8 years. One thing that did help us was going into the local school (we got put in non-English speaking school in Scandinavia) and making local friends. We quickly adapted and felt like we belonged in the new place. As we got older, my good friends came from the church we attended- kid's clubs, youth groups. I really feel for you and your family, as I read your posts lately. Even though I found moving tough, I also have such fond memories of each place. Be patient. It takes time. Even though I don't know you, I'm praying for you. Cx
ReplyDeletePrayers for your babies and their sweet tender hearts, it can be so hard for littles to go through such transition but they will learn and grow stronger because of it, the lord is walking with them holding them close. I ish you had your mama too, hugs to you.
ReplyDeletepraying for your darling littles. i remember how hard it was moving as a kid, several times. and now, as an adult, it almost feels worse.
ReplyDeletewe're three years and counting into this new life here, 1500+ miles from family and friends. still pretty desolate here in the friendship department. BUT the lord is providing in other ways for this season, like through blogging!
grateful for your story.
oh man. i get this. my hubs and i recently lost our jobs unexpectedly, moved for the temporary, and are about to move again. i hate this in-between and unsettled feeling, and i dread being a "needer of friends" in the coming months while we settle into a new place. BUT, i know that God has great plans for us and He is using this experience to hold us tight and make us more like Him. praying for y'all!
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