Lizzy's Footprints

     These past two week my mom and I have done a lot of traveling back and forth from Florida to North Carolina, and to drop/pick-up my brothers from camp.  We had a traveling buddy with us, we named him Stripes.  Stripes is a spider, we are fairly certain he was poisonous.  He lived inside the driver-side rear view mirror throughout our travels.  Each night he would make a web and the wind would always destroy it the next day.  As the car accelerated he would hold on trusting the strength of his web.  Stripes also knew his weaknesses though and would go back inside the mirror.  Our little friend taught both of us what it looks like to make the best of a situation and to live with perseverance.  Knowing not only your strengths but your weaknesses.  Traveling though different terrain taught me an aspect of perseverance.  As is well known, I grew up in flat Florida.  Moving to mountainous Murphy, with all the curve...

               There are many things that I have learned these past 10 months.  The RV was challenging and in some moments I thought it was only making my relationships with my family members worse.  But I know we have become closer than I will ever realize.  Not only did it challenge me in the way I acted towards my siblings but it challenged me in my walk with God and in personal aspects of my life.    Patience                I have known for quite some time that patience with my family isn’t one of the areas I am strongest in.  I can be very patient with friends but when it comes down to the moments when my brothers are getting on my last nerves I don’t usually think before I speak or act.  Being so close to them all day made me get irritated faster.  There was no place to go to get ‘me time’ or to breathe, which was the hard...

          Two weeks ago I attended a Teen Pact camp called National Convention.  After evening session we had Coffee House (free time).  During this time I saw a friend of mine (from Florida) and went over to her to give her a hug and say hello.  Tears came rolling down my face, emotions came roaring in… she was the first homeschooler I met, and one amazing friend.  To have to say good-bye to all the things in Florida, my friends, my home, my comfort zones.  That all hit me at once.  Then she asked me ‘How are you doing?’ and instead of trying to hide my tears in the dark environment I said ‘not well’ and another rush of tears came down my face.  (In the moment I didn’t even know what was going on… I swore I was fine two seconds earlier)  That night the thoughts rolled through my mind… moving… 8 hours from Orlando… that is a lot of friends to keep in touch with… what does North Carolina have instore for me???...

Where is home? Are we already home or are we still lost? Moving from Orlando Florida to Murphy North Carolina is bringing up the idea of always being home. What defines home... When you feel like you belong somewhere or around someone then you are usually comfortable there. "Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don't listen because you don't belong to God." John 8:47 brings up the concept of belonging to God. Belonging is a personal choice. You belong where ever you are welcomed all you have to do is trust the people who are welcoming you in.   Home is where the heart is... Where is your home? ~Lizzy New house update: Demolished the kitchen and set up modern outlets. (Pictures to come!)