A Sad Day...

We moved to Arkansas almost exactly six years ago.  It was a transition we had not expected.   Mark was loving his job at BP and we were all loving being only a few hours from our family.  We did not really feel quite at home in Huntsville, but we were content.  Then the news came that BP was restructuring and that we may not have a job, and if we did it would be in Chicago.  Times were changing!

God provided for us in so many ways during that unsettling time.   One of the many blessings from that time period was my friend Melissa.  Mark came to interview at Future Fuel, and the human resources director set up a lunch play date with Melissa and her children.  We met at McDonald's and our children played while we visited.  Our families had a lot in common, and I really enjoyed lunch.  

Mark got the job and we moved to Arkansas.  Our kids were excited because they already had friends (Isn't it great that kids can play on a playground and already be friends?).  Melissa introduced me to life in Arkansas and soon became a close friend.  We had three children that were the same gender and age.  We had quirky things in common like a love for calendars and meal planning.  She and her husband Tim taught us how to camp and inspired us to buy a pop-up.  We home schooled together, played cards together, traveled together and walked through hard times together.  Her family became a huge part of our family's lives.

I found out a couple of months ago that Melissa's husband Tim had accepted a job in Kingsport, Tennessee.   It was hard news.  I was excited for them because it was a great opportunity, but I immediately began to mourn the changes that were coming.  Our lives were so intertwined that it was hard to imagine what it was going to look like without them.

Today was the day to say good-bye.  Not an "I will never see you again good-bye", but a "from now on things won't be the same good-bye."  Today was a hard day.

Praise the Lord for good friends.