This has really been stressful. But most of the stress has been on my wonderful wife, Sara.
About three months ago, we decided that moving again was the right thing to do, and so, this past April, I decided to let myself again become potential prey for the "head hunters" out there. By this I mean that I let it be known that I was looking to move - to Northwest Arkansas, if I could find a suitable position. Well, let me tell you, the offers started coming my way (you see, hospitalists are an extremely sought-after commodity - especially those who speak English, and have some real world experience). The money is generally good, and the work is usually satisfying.
A few of you may recall, how I was talking of professional dissatisfaction on my blog several months back, and how this contrasted with having four of my six grandchildren living in Northwest Arkansas. And how it seemed that we were all getting a bit older, and we seemed to be missing out on some very important things, such as baseball tournaments, school plays, dance recitals and the like. But what really tore at my heart strings was our youngest granddaughter, Millie. Now, for those of you fortunate enough to have a three year old grandchild, I really don't need to explain. But for the rest of you - when you become important in the life of such a wondrous creation - well, it just melts this old heart of mine.
And so, it seemed just the right thing to do, to move closer. And I did find suitable employment (or rather, I had to choose between several outstanding opportunities).
But then came the hard part. Moving requires pulling up roots. Selling our home here, and purchasing a new home in Arkansas seemed to suddenly become urgent needs, and based upon our prior experiences, we were not looking forward to that at all. But here, I ask your indulgence, as I explain my own perspective on what happened. We put our house on the market - we did all the requisite things, such as finding a realtor, getting the house "staged," having it professionally photographed, and professionally "priced to sell." And then the big day came, when our house hit the market. And let me tell you, we had no expectations that it might sell so quickly - but we did not have it on the market even for one whole day - it sold that same day! And this was so incredibly unexpected, it took our breath away. It was going to become a reality after all. And I don't expect you to understand how it seemed to us like divine intervention, but that is truly how we see it.
Well, we came back to earth rather quickly, as we now had to find someplace in Arkansas to live. We have had to pack our things here, and be ready to move there - all in a matter of weeks. We did find a beautiful home, which was about the same size as our existing home (and comparable in price), which will be ready in time for us to move. So, we close here on Aug 2nd, and close there on Aug 5th - wheww! And all this time, I still have had my job to do here in Oklahoma City, where everyone tells me that I will be missed.
This is really the first time in which a move has meant this much to us. To leave our lovely home, with its wonderful neighbors, our church family, our friends (professional and otherwise) - and to go forth to another state, to be with our actual family means so very much to us. And I thank you for your indulgence again, as I pick up the pieces of my old life, and try to put things together again in our newest adventure.
About three months ago, we decided that moving again was the right thing to do, and so, this past April, I decided to let myself again become potential prey for the "head hunters" out there. By this I mean that I let it be known that I was looking to move - to Northwest Arkansas, if I could find a suitable position. Well, let me tell you, the offers started coming my way (you see, hospitalists are an extremely sought-after commodity - especially those who speak English, and have some real world experience). The money is generally good, and the work is usually satisfying.
A few of you may recall, how I was talking of professional dissatisfaction on my blog several months back, and how this contrasted with having four of my six grandchildren living in Northwest Arkansas. And how it seemed that we were all getting a bit older, and we seemed to be missing out on some very important things, such as baseball tournaments, school plays, dance recitals and the like. But what really tore at my heart strings was our youngest granddaughter, Millie. Now, for those of you fortunate enough to have a three year old grandchild, I really don't need to explain. But for the rest of you - when you become important in the life of such a wondrous creation - well, it just melts this old heart of mine.
And so, it seemed just the right thing to do, to move closer. And I did find suitable employment (or rather, I had to choose between several outstanding opportunities).
But then came the hard part. Moving requires pulling up roots. Selling our home here, and purchasing a new home in Arkansas seemed to suddenly become urgent needs, and based upon our prior experiences, we were not looking forward to that at all. But here, I ask your indulgence, as I explain my own perspective on what happened. We put our house on the market - we did all the requisite things, such as finding a realtor, getting the house "staged," having it professionally photographed, and professionally "priced to sell." And then the big day came, when our house hit the market. And let me tell you, we had no expectations that it might sell so quickly - but we did not have it on the market even for one whole day - it sold that same day! And this was so incredibly unexpected, it took our breath away. It was going to become a reality after all. And I don't expect you to understand how it seemed to us like divine intervention, but that is truly how we see it.
Well, we came back to earth rather quickly, as we now had to find someplace in Arkansas to live. We have had to pack our things here, and be ready to move there - all in a matter of weeks. We did find a beautiful home, which was about the same size as our existing home (and comparable in price), which will be ready in time for us to move. So, we close here on Aug 2nd, and close there on Aug 5th - wheww! And all this time, I still have had my job to do here in Oklahoma City, where everyone tells me that I will be missed.
This is really the first time in which a move has meant this much to us. To leave our lovely home, with its wonderful neighbors, our church family, our friends (professional and otherwise) - and to go forth to another state, to be with our actual family means so very much to us. And I thank you for your indulgence again, as I pick up the pieces of my old life, and try to put things together again in our newest adventure.
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