“Oh, are you new? Awesome!
Where are you from?”
If you grew up in the military like me, or have ever asked a
military kid this question, the response probably went something like this…
“Uh…well…..originally I’m from Missouri…but I’ve moved
around a whole lot so I’m from a lot of places….I just moved here from Germany…..I
don’t know….”
Growing up in a military family, moving was just part of
life. Of course leaving friends was hard, but you learned very quickly how to
adapt, make new friends, and love the new place you found yourself in. New
places, new adventures were always exciting, but with all the changes, I never
was able to call one place home; rather, there was simply a list of all the
places I’d been and home was where my family was.
My dad retired from the Army and moved my family to Arizona a
little over 12 years ago, and being that I’m only 22 (almost 23) I’ve actually
spent more than half of my life in the same place even though the first half we
didn’t stay put for more than 2-3 years at a time…you would think that after 12
years, Sierra Vista would be home.
As it turns it out…it took leaving that place to realize
just how much of an Arizona- girl I really am.
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| The GIGANTIC moving truck that moved my worldly possessions from AZ to GA. A little excessive, no? |
Like I said, I’ve moved a lot. So, when I moved to Georgia a
little over a month ago to be with my husband while he finishes school for the
Army, it was just another move to add to the list. But then I found myself
doing something strange. As I met people at church or on base and the
inevitable question was asked “Where are you from?” I didn’t stumble over my
words. Instead, I found myself easily answering, “I’m from Arizona.”
And then the comparisons started: the rain in Georgia doesn’t smell like the
rain in Arizona; the stars aren’t as visibly bright here like they are in AZ;
why is the air so thick? I can hardly breathe with the all the moisture. I
really appreciate AZ being so dry; it’s so green here and I kind of miss the
cactus in Arizona…..Arizona, Arizona, Arizona.
Then, to top it all off, this past Sunday as I sat listening
to the Pastor at our new church talk about reaching out to the Augusta community,
I caught myself replacing “Augusta” each time with “Sierra Vista”.
It’s official – Arizona is in my blood.
I find now that I can easily list a dozen reasons why
Arizona is where I am from: Arizona grew
me and made me who I am today; I met my best friends and my husband there; I
adore the monsoons; the clear skies, starry nights, and desert beauty
consistently take my breath away; no place will ever have sun sets that compare
to those that go over Arizona mountains; I have church families there; I made
plans and dreamed dreams for my life there….and the list goes on.
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| Easter at the Grand Canyon. |
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| Easter at the Grand Canyon - Sunset = Gorgeous. |
It’s a surprising and nice change to be able to say with
confidence that I am from Arizona…And I discovered this just in time to move to
a new place again. I finally found a home in the world, and now it’s time for
me to move on. I have admit, this time it’s a little scarier. I’m older, a
little shyer about making friends so easily, and certainly missing my community
back ‘home’. But in all of this realization and moving, God has been reminding me
that no matter where I go…I’ll always be home. Arizona may be where I am from, but home is where my family is, where my amazing husband is…and most importantly
my true home is where the presence of
Christ is.
The truth? We don’t belong in this world. We are part a
bigger family, one that has a home in eternity with Jesus. As I settle in
Georgia, and then continue to move over the next few years (and perhaps beyond
that) I can take comfort in the fact that of all the new places and new
adventures I will experience, none will ever be as close to home as belonging
to the Kingdom of God is.
I may be from Arizona…but
I have a home that I can and never will leave.
“Home is behind, the
world ahead, and there are many paths to tread.”
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| Casey and I getting connected at Vineyard Church of Augusta. |
(Lord of the Rings anyone?)
SO beautiful almost made me cry. I teared up.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Ari! Really enjoyed it and it made me think about my time spent in Arizona and how I still don't say that I'm from there. Moved there in 2001 and moved away in 2007 so only spent half the time that you did. I still say "I was a military brat so everywhere." And with Brandon's job as a pilot I'm sure that will change to "I'm a pilot's wife so everywhere!" :)
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