Casualties

It was a hard thing, trying to decide what to take, and what to leave behind. I mean - imagine if everything you owned was trying out in order to 'make the cut'. Some things just couldn't come along, despite their best efforts. Some things (like my favorite jeans!!!) accidentally got lost in the shuffle. (Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!)

But, by and large, it was surprising to me how easy it was to get rid of most of our things. And, the things that were not easy to get rid of were also surprising. I polled the family, and here are the interesting items that were hardest to give up for each one:

Mark - Mark didn't want to give up his motorcycle, which is kind of strange, since he'd only had it for about four months. He didn't even necessarily want a bike, but knew it would be a really viable, cheap transportation option in Guatemala, and decided to get one to learn and practice on here. Initially, the whole endeavor was really scary, which made the bike (and all that it represented that he'd overcome) all the more special to him.  He was really sad when he had to give it up.

Andrea - The lost jeans. (Ladies - you know what it means to lose your *favorite* jeans.) But, also, it was really hard for me to leave behind my kitchen stuff. Like, my cast iron skillet. My favorite mixing bowl. My stock pot. These were like the tools of my trade. The weapons in my daily battle to feed my family. The stuff I've used almost every day of my adult, married life, and I'll never see them again. That was kind of tough.

Rachel - Rachel had a pair of worn out, glittery gold shoes that she wore in my sister's wedding, and practically every day since. They weren't in good enough shape to take along, but she also wasn't really ready to let them go. It was a hard, hard thing to drop them into the garbage. Also, the wire desk organizer that she stored her stuff in on her bedside table, and the mosquito (or princess) netting that was around her bed for the past two years caused a few moments of heartache.

Rebecca - Rebecca loves stuffed animals. During our previous moves and times of turmoil, her stuffed animals were an anchor for her - a source of security. While we were preparing for this move, she was extremely brave in parting with ('rehoming' as she called it) her beloved stuffed buddies. She says they were the hardest things to leave behind, though it was easier than she thought it would be since she's super excited about where we're going and what we'll be doing next.

Sarah - Sarah had a really hard time giving her cat up. She really wishes he could have come along with us. (Let's be honest, though - no one, cat especially, would have been happy about that decision in the long run. Fifty-eight hours is a looooooong time in a car.) She was very sad when he left, but says it made it so much easier knowing he was going to a great home of people she knew and loved.

So many things left behind... Even so - even with all of these things that were really hard to let go of - I agree 100% with the C. S. Lewis quote above: "There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind."