Lonesome.

Living provinces away from family is bound to result in spells of homesickness...

This week is one of those times.

Maybe kick-started with the lightening fast visit we had with my Dad.  He was up for a conference that was within driving distance and was able to stay over Sunday night before his flight home on Monday. I am so thankful for the brief visits we sometimes get as a result of his travel layovers, but they are certainly teasers...

But I do have a visit to look forward to! Dad & Mom are coming up the first of November for a week and a bit.  He's coming to have ministry meetings for a week in our home church, so we reap the benefits! I'm hoping they come a few days early and maybe even stay a few days afterwards... I don't think they're on a tight schedule, so here's to hoping!

I've been lonesome in the past... but it is definitely different with a child. I never pictured raising a family away from all family members.  I also didn't realize it would be a big deal until I got pregnant... and the reality is only growing over time!  AJ has grandparents on two opposite coasts, an aunt and uncle in the States, and an aunt and two uncles in Halifax.  It's now that I long to live in close proximity to my family... to have a weekly family get-together like Saturday Pizza Nights. For everyone to be an active part of our lives, and us - theirs. To see AJ growing and playing with his grandparents, aunts and uncles on a regular basis; not spending our allotted visit times getting comfortable all over again. I want to be able to drop in for coffee with my mom or go out for a walk with my sister. And... it would be nice to have a built-in babysitter for the odd occasion...  but it's not the driving force behind my homesickness. :)

I am thankful for skype, email, phone calls and texts: it certainly helps. But it's not the same.

Plus, I miss my Island. The ocean. The rolling emerald hills and patchwork fields. The sand dunes. The red cliffs. The miles of sand. I was born and raised in such a privileged place!!

So to help with my melancholy mood today, I thought I needed a dose of .... Anne of Green Gables. Don't laugh! I saw the box set at Costco a month ago and had to buy it. What kind of Islander away would I be if I didn't own the movie?? I hadn't seen it in probably 20 years...  yet, every scene is so familiar. I've only watched half... but not sure it helped or hindered. All those beautiful landscape shots. But I enjoyed the familiar story... and the quaint ways of many Islanders. It may have been written long ago, but the attitudes and mindsets are not completely outdated! ;)

BUT!!!!

Wallowing in all my longings, what-if's and I-wish's is not healthy. We are where God has brought us and planted us. Am I saying His plan is wrong? No. It's different than how I imagined, but it usually is! :) And for me to live in my "dream world" and not be content in where I am now is like me telling God He is wrong.  God, through Paul, mentions many times about the importance of being content in every circumstance, and to be thankful. I am so very (very!) blessed, and I have so much to be thankful for.  God has been so kind as to place us in a wonderful church family that has shown us in every way they love us. One particular family has taken us under their wing as one of their own, and we enjoy many family gatherings with them. We have great friends here only minutes away. All of this means so much to me, and I know they are gifts from God's good hand.

And, in my own little home, I have a man who loves me and whom I love dearly... and our little boy that has exceeded all expectation. Really, when I stop and dwell on all that I have been blessed with, my heart nearly bursts.

So... while I may still be lonesome for my extended family... I am content here in my home, in this province where God has placed me, with the 2 loves of my life. I will count my blessings... naming them one by one... :)