Captains Log: Week 3

I'm not sure how to begin this post or to talk about how life ended up like this.

A month that started off with so much to look forward to has turned on it's head and everywhere I look, life is different.

I read and reread the news.

I read the posts of friends in places past to see how they are doing.

I miss all those neighbors and friends.

We have a new neighbor with toddler twins and a baby.

We love it!

And 2 new families bought neighboring homes down the road bringing some life to the neighborhood. And an adorable red head:)

The Montara House

After 17 years, and false starts...we had moved forward with getting our plans approved for our land up north last November!

All of me wanted my family to be up there by this fall.

We have friends there.

And some dreams there.

Plus, surfing.

And the city.

And Toto's Pizza.

And achieving a life long goal.

And building a home together.

(We are good at that !)

Also knowing we can be there for quite a long time appeals to my heart.

When we bought our little piece of land in Half Moon Bay, there was nothing in my mind that deviated from knowing that the Lord provided a place for us to land one day.

That there would be a reason.

The unknown was the timeline.

We were open to experience living in different places.

In fact, before I moved from South San Francisco with Clay and our 3 little children and one 23 weeks along...

I had an experience in the Oakland temple.

The spirit spoke directly to me and my heart,

"Jennifer, you will live in different places at different times for the benefit of your children".

At the time I didn't realize the scope of what that meant.

With each move for Clay's work, this revelation has brought me much peace and confidence. And I have absolutely seen it in action in our lives.

I remember overhearing a conversation on an airplane between a mother and a passenger back when Lucy was 5. She told this neighboring passenger how they lived in Germany and how her son was having a hard time in school. And then she said something like...but even though he has gone through hard things, it was still good for his life experience.

When I heard this, I took mental note that this was not by chance.

I had been taught something that I would need to know one day.

That too has helped me as I have mothered this last year and a half.

There have been trials endured that are close to my heart, too hard to really talk about. But they are there. They are real. One day I hope to know it was good for them or me :)