"An Ode to Our First Place"

To you, small box of the dull white walls,

To the metal handles that always fall off

To the jet engine fan in the bathroom

And the angry wasps on the patio eves

I will not miss you on the summer nights

When the room was stifling hot

Until the whirling air condition clicked

Turning it into a freezing ice box

Moving: Clinging to God's Promises

Moving. Ugh. It happens to all of us – some more often than others. Growing up my dad was in the Navy, so we moved every three to five years. We were the “lucky” ones who lived mostly on the same coast, but no matter the distance or the noble cause, it is hard for a second grader to understand the goodness of leaving her home, best friends, church, school, and all that she knows because Dad has to report to a new boss. Perhaps I still have some unresolved issues from my childhood trauma, but I encourage you to honor the servicemen and women you know, for they and their families have sacrificed quite a bit for the freedom that we all enjoy in this land.