The impact of making a move, Submission
By: Pastor Natalie
Let’s be real, any and every move in life is felt in one way or another. For me, I can remember the major move I made when leaving from New York and moving to Florida and how it impacted me. This was such a large decision my husband and I made for our family, and it was overwhelming in many ways.
We had prayed for a while about moving and were looking to purchase a new home. We did not want to settle for another apartment, especially because of the cost. After a couple of years of looking and not finding something we could afford in New York, we decided to look in the state of Florida. Why? We loved many things about Florida, some included the beauty, the palm trees, beaches, more affordable housing, and what we thought may be a good place to raise our family.
The Decision
After researching and having peace about the move, it was our decision to make a major move. In preparation, there were lots of things to do, and we were in the process of preparation. It was exciting to us when we found a home that we could afford to purchase but it was also very scary. Everything was about to change for us.
Our thoughts included many considerations, such as my husband leaving a good job in New York, I was leaving all that I ever knew and loved about New York after being born and raised there, and we were going to begin something so new in every way. My family would now be over a thousand miles away and I did not have any friends yet in Florida. I thought about how I would have to learn the new neighborhood; where was the post office, police station, fire departments? Where were the medical care centres,schools, churches, and what stores were closest to shop at. These were just some of the things we took into consideration, and we tried hard not to become overwhelmed by all of it.
Although some of my husband’s family lived in Central Florida, they were not too close by either. So honestly, everything for me was a bit overwhelming. My children were very young, and I knew they would adjust well as long as we were both well too. This felt as though we began a fresh start.
The Drive
After packing and preparing for many days the time came for us to move and we were filled with so many emotions. We were excited, scared, sad, ready, and filled with faith and assurance we were doing the right thing. When I tell you, I cried, well, yes I surely did, you understand. I held my parents and friends close for several minutes before we would take off and begin our new adventure. It was fun to think, here we were in our car and big moving truck saying goodbye to what we knew for a few years and looking forward to where we were going.
As we drove, everything in the rearview mirror seemed further and further away, I knew this was really happening and there was no turning back now. Only onward and upward forward. I so love how my husband and we were able to step out into the unknown and not feel like we were stuck in one place. There was this sense that there was more, and we could walk in it.
As we crossed over from state to state, it only appeared to me that this was now closer than ever before. We would be living in an entirely new place, and I really did not know what to expect. Unfortunately, there had been fires due to no rain on the land for a while going on in Florida prior to our move. We prayed that God would let there be an outpouring of rain as we would cross over into the state, and sure enough a huge rainstorm crossed over into the state alongside us. For us, it confirmed that we were headed in th right direction to live in our new home.
Our New Home
We just cried and thanked God. It took us even longer to get there due to detours from the fires, but we were determined. I honestly cannot put into words how overwhelmed we felt when we finally arrived at our new home in the middle of the night. We decided to bring everything inside and just rest.
As we awoke to a bright sunny morning in Florida, I must admit it did not feel real that I was now living in a new home and in a new state. I had to tell myself this is not a dream but now a reality. We had driven for so many hours, but it just did not feel real to me or my husband. But we had to now learn to adjust to something new; something outside of our comfort zones.
It would be several weeks of adjusting to all the changes. Some of these new realities included my husband finding a wonderful new job, locating stores for groceries, and all the other things we needed to learn about in our new area. There were several days, I have to admit, where I felt so happy regarding the move and then other times, I felt very sad. I missed my family, my church, and friends. I was born in the city, up north and now I was not only living in a suburb but in the south. I am not saying this in a negative way, but in sincerity to how I had to get used to different living.. I was so used to fast paced and there were so many times everything felt like it completely slowed down. There is a southern slang I had to get used to as well. These are just a few things, but honestly the most important thing for me was to learn to be content and remain grateful.
I believe that sometimes making a major move can be so scary to us that we may opt out of doing it. The fact is that we may live to regret what we did not try.I am so glad that my husband and I made the decision to move several years ago from New York to Florida. I do not know if I would have ever gotten my first house and grown into the person I now am. I have learned that there are times you may have to do things even when you are questioning your decisions, even if you are afraid to do them. I would prefer to seek things out, pray, and step out in things rather than regretting what I did not try. The adjustments may have taken a while, but it has been worth the decision and the journey.