week one

it's been seven sleeps under the saskatoon sky.
here is an account of my first experiences as a resident of Saskatoon.  I was welcomed off the plane by my happy husband and two new but very dear friends who brought presents for the kids (and me!).  i took Olivia to the bathroom to change her into her pj's and she was showing me this rash on her arm.  a women in the bathroom asked if she could look at it, then proceeded to tell me what it was, and the type of cream i should buy to help, and apologized profusely for not having said cream on her person.  i was then driven to the home of Martin and Michele, total strangers, who have given us their basement and have wholeheartedly welcomed us into their lives for two weeks. 
the next day we visited Olivia's school.  we walked in the front door and the secretary poked her head around the corner.  "are you Olivia?!!", then the principal "Olivia!  you're finally here!", then on to her classroom where her desk was piled high with notes and presents from her classmates and a room full of kids brimming with excitement to meet her.  one boy pretending to swoon cried out "sixteen girls and eight boys!"
i have learned that my child must bring snowpants in her backpack to school daily, that the garage is useful as a ginormous freezer space, what anti-lock brakes feel like when working, and that i love the prairies.  or, at least, i love it here. 
even though we are still very much in the midst of transition, i feel cradled by God.  as though He's sheltering me, blessing me, handling me gently.  i have seriously seen one face in the last week that wasn't smiling - the librarian when i tried to use my husbands card (i guess they are 100 percent NON-TRANSFERABLE, so don't even try!!!).  the sky is bright, the trees are covered in frost, the air is freezing but the wind is low - it's beautiful. 
i wonder if the months of waiting and struggle and frustration have now offered me this perspective of gratitude.  if so, i'm thankful for them.  i'm so thankful. 
our new church is a community of honesty and striving and kindness.  my husband wakes up happy and comes home from work smiling and that is worth the craziness.  women are calling me and caring for me and laughing at my jokes, and that is keeping the loneliness birds at bay. 
it is good to follow God's lead, even when it means the path takes you through some dark forested areas, or rocky seas with no land in sight - He has brought me out into a spacious place.  because He loves me. 
and He will do the same for you.