our hands ~ courtesy of Charles
We left Lubbock on Father's Day to drive back home to Arlington. Gregg and I have been known to have some of our best talks while on road trips. We hashed how that weekend was bittersweet being in town for a funeral but also enjoying our family's company. Gregg's cousins have children our girls age, so we loved that our girls got to play with their cousins. While at Meme's, she had a broken faucet in her guest bathroom. Gregg mentioned how he wished he lived closer so he could pick up the part for her and just fix it for her.
Every time we're in town, the family jokes how we should just move to Lubbock so Gregg could run that store there.
On that following Thursday, four days later, Gregg's boss called him and asked him if he would be interested in going to the store in Lubbock. The store manager there had quit and Gregg was being asked to apply.
Seriously.
So long story short, we are moving to Lubbock! But there was over a week where Gregg was asked to apply and told to get his house ready to sell but hadn't had the official interview for the position. We just kept praying for God's path but I admit it was stressful.
One morning in the middle of this, Gregg called me from work to tell me he had found a pen.
"Blessed is the man who follows the Lord"
This pen was on the ground by the Customer Service desk and Gregg happened to pick it up.
Ok, God! We're listening!
In all honesty, when Gregg 1st got the call, it was like we were handed a huge gift from God. I would love to say it was an answer to prayer because that is not true. Maybe an answer to a prayer that we didn't even pray. God knew our hearts, our desires that we didn't even pray to him to "fix". I went and took a shower and cried tears of relief and happiness.
When we told people, they are like "Lubbock, now is that a good thing?"
First of all, in retail, it is good to be "asked" to go somewhere and on the same token, good to say "yes" when asked. Also, since Gregg wants to continue to work his way up through the company past store manager level, it is good to move and have different store experiences.
Lowe's make moving very easy. We are assigned a relocation consultant most importantly, they move us. Like pack us, move us, everything.
And, I'm used to moving. I don't mind moving. I like living different places, meeting new people and having new experiences. Temple was Gregg's first store and we lived there three years, then he was asked to go to South Dallas two years ago and now asked to go to Lubbock. So, this will be our third move in 5 years.
Let's move while the kids are little and then settle down when they're older. But really, I want this for Gregg.
Gregg has been in a very difficult store in South Dallas for the past two years. He has been beat down with all of the crime, drama, and lack of quality employees. In Lubbock, Gregg would be able to thrive and achieve personal and financial success that his peers have been receiving.
And as cheesy as it sounds, I feel like God has a plan....let me count the ways.
~Gregg went to high school in Sundown, outside of Levelland, which is outside of Lubbock. He left for college and a year later, his mom died. He says he feels like he's "coming home" after all of these years.
~Gregg's grandma, Meme, lives in Levelland and is the one we vacation to Padre with.
~Gregg's aunt and uncle, Beth and Steve, and her three children and their families(who have children my girl's age) live in Lubbock
~Gregg's uncle and aunt, Darrell and Linda, live in Levelland. Darrell is in AA, a sponsor, and drives to Lubbock for his meetings. At the funeral, they kept talking how they need to go to a meeting together the next time we were in town..
~Gregg's sister, Lindsey, goes to Tech will be graduating next spring and getting married (in Lubbock) next July
~Gregg's cousin leads worship at this awesome new church that we visited at Christmastime. The whole family (except Meme) goes there and we will too. What a relief to not have to search for a church!
~All of these family members will be able to assist me in finding drs, hairdressers, etc etc.
~We stayed at Meme's when were in town for the funeral. It was weird to see them again so soon after seeing them in Padre the week before. When we were leaving to go home, Meme told me, "I could get used to seeing you every weekend!"
~ Beth and Steve are realtors
~ Our home group friend's daughter will be starting Tech and we hope to be able to be available to her.
Gregg starts his new job in Lubbock on the 14th and we'll go out next weekend to look at houses. Then the girls and I will be in Arlington until our house closes in Lubbock.
This move will be totally bittersweet. We love our life in Arlington ~our home, our friends, our church, the whole area. But we are excited about what God has planned for us in Lubbock.
I have lived my life looking for "signs" and one of my favorite quotes is, "life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans." With all of the events of the past month, with the marriage conference, the funeral and the uncanny timing of everything, we feel that God is the mastermind of it all.
It is amazing that Gregg and I are completely on the same page spiritually. Never in our lives have we felt so led and to have our hearts so open.
But they are, and we are willing and very able.
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