Radical

A neat thing happened a month ago when I called the kid's school in Fort Collins, Colorado.  It may not seem like a big deal to you, but it was pretty overwhelming to me.  I was talking to the principal, trying to see if our kids could attend Tavelli even though my parent's house technically feeds a different school (farther away).  School choice had closed in February, so I was *only* about 6 months late.  I figured it was hardly even worth asking, but I did anyway.

And I'm glad I did.  Because she was so incredibly committed to making it work.  She seemed so excited that we wanted Caleb and Ali at Tavelli, and she seemed to feel sincere sympathy for our situation.  At the end of the conversation she said something I had never heard before, and I found myself having to work to hold it together.

"Oh, and would you please tell your husband that we thank him for his service."

Such a short sentence packed with such meaning to me.  We thank him for his service.  

Then I made another phone call earlier this week to the military housing office to talk about our big move, and I was blown away again.  This time by just one little word.

Ma'am.

I think the young man I was speaking with said ma'am a minimum of 500 times.  Seriously.  I felt like the First Lady or something... For the first 5 minutes it felt nice having someone speak to me with such politeness and respect.  And then I desperately wanted to tell him to quit it and just call me Erin.  

But that's not an option.

Because there is a level of respect that guides life in the military.  There are ranks, and while the separation sometimes seems over the top, it is absolutely necessary.  I think our country has deepened its respect for the men and women who sacrifice their lives for the sake of our safety and freedom.  So there is honor bestowed not just within the military, but from those outside of the military as well.

I'm not going to lie, this is a different response than we normally receive when talking about what we do.  I guess becoming a Chaplain in the military seems radical.  And on some levels, I suppose it is.  We are giving up some of life's typical comforts, but we are also walking into a new type of family that I know we will grow to love and be continually blessed by.

What it makes me think, though, is that somehow we've lost the sense of radicalness in our daily life.  You don't have to join the military to be radical.  You don't have to go overseas and become a missionary in a third world country to be radical.  You don't have to sell all your stuff and 'adopt' 47 Compassion children to be radical.

You can extend a hand of compassion to someone in need.  You can make a change in your life that bucks convention and puts Christ at the center.  You can sacrifice something you love in order to bring joy and blessing to someone else.  You can put others before yourself and daily die to your self-serving desires.

That's radical.

So we're doing it in the context of the military.  But you can do it in whatever context you find yourself each and every day.  And when you do, you might be surprised at the reaction.  As hard as it is to sacrifice our own comforts and desires, we are honored and blessed when we do.  

And that phrase the principal at Tavelli spoke to me that moved me so much?  Well, as you surrender your life to Christ and live radically with Him at the center of everything, you can be certain that you'll hear your own version of that powerful phrase one day.  It might be worded a little differently, but it will pack an even stronger punch.  

"Well done, good and faithful servant."

California Dreamin'

Wow.  This month is seriously flying by.  It is so hard for me to believe that we're halfway through our last month of 'normal' life before everything gets crazy.  Its already crazy, really...  But the reality of the journey we're about to begin will get much more real when Matt is on the East Coast at Officer Development School and we're in Fort Collins, Colorado, living with my parents.  Its just weird even typing that out.  Yikes.

Anyway, you might have noticed a few changes to this blog.  The title, for one.  When I started writing a few years ago it was for a very specific purpose:  I wanted to reach out to and encourage the girls in our youth group throughout the week when I was not with them.  I wanted this to be a place on the world wide web that was safe for them to turn to and find truth and honesty.  Hence, the Hill for Girls.

Over the last couple of years I haven't written much - the pace of life and the ages of my kids seemed to distract me from making this a priority.  But now I find myself with lots to say, and I am realizing that the purpose and primary audience for this blog is changing...  I am no longer writing with teenage girls in mind.

I am writing with my husband in mind.

I am writing with family members all over the world in mind.

I am writing with the knowledge that these blog posts will be the primary connection point between me and many of the people I love.

Mostly, I am writing to chronicle the start of what I believe will be an epic journey.  We are walking into the unknown, confident that this is where God is calling us to go... But completely unaware of all that it will entail.  Seriously, I have no idea what my life will actually look like in 6 months.  That's why this is now called "Our Life Now."  Because that's all I know.  Life right now.

I don't know what life will look like in a month, or two months, or a year.  But I can tell you our story for now... And when things change - as they will all too often - this is where you can find the tidbits of information to stay somewhat in the loop.

So here's our current scoop for those of you who like the details.  I love details.  They seem to be few, far between, and ever changing.  But the ones I have, I cling to.

Matt's last day at our church is July 31st.  Strangely enough, that's also the exact day we have to be out of our condo.  Over the next 2 weeks we'll be loading most of our precious belongings into a storage unit near here.  We'll head to Illinois for a short break and some time together.

By mid August Matt will be headed to Rhode Island and the kids and I will be on our way to Colorado.  The kids are enrolled at Tavelli Elementary School in Fort Collins.  They already know who their teachers will be and have seen pictures online.  So sweet - they are excited.

Matt has schooling for 3 months.  Our first separation.  If we cross your mind, pray for us.

He graduates from Chaplain training on November 15th.  After that we are headed to 29 Palms, California.  Now before you get all excited thinking that we'll be living some sort of glamorous ocean-front life for 3 years, Google 29 Palms.  Its 3 hours from the ocean in the middle of the Mojave Desert.  Its probably 124 degrees there today.  Or something like that.

29 Palms is a Marine Air Ground Combat Training Center.  For those of you who are confused because Matt was commissioned in the Navy, the Marines do not have their own chaplains, so Navy chaplains are assigned to Marine bases as well.

The most exciting news, in my opinion, is that this first assignment is non-deployable.  That's right.  If we can survive the 3-4 month separation this fall we can count on at least a few years before another long separation is required.

Oh hallelujah.

So there it is.  Beyond that, I am learning to be patient and flexible.  Working on what it looks like truly believe that God has it in His hands.  Its funny how easy it is to believe that when your life is predictable and stable.  When you are thrust into the unknown it suddenly becomes a much more difficult exercise of faith...

For now, I am packing, cleaning, trying to have some fun with the kids, and spending precious time with the beautiful friends God has blessed me with here.  I will do my best to live in the moment; cherishing the time we have.

I am so grateful for this life we are living now.

Grateful for you, too...