Still reading? Wow. Thank you.
The last installment ended with our goodbye to Ian's sister, Alice. She was instrumental in getting this move done as well as it was; she was a mainstay in our move to our Chattanooga house; she's been a friend and confidante and cheerleader and wise counselor to us both. Of course this won't end, but in entering a new chapter, we are leaving certain things behind, and the geographical closeness and regular visits are definitely going to be sorely missed.
So. Back to Wendy's. We all drove to the church to pick up the little car and went straight to our hotel: Country Inn and Suites near Shallowford Road. It took a while to check in. It took us a while to unload the things we needed. We were both dragging and the boys were wired.
But we are so thankful for our hotel room, which is where I'm writing from right now. It's a true suite: a bedroom with two queen beds, a window, a TV, and a door that closes. The second room is a living room with a pull-out couch, a mini-fridge, little wet bar, microwave, and desk. The bathroom is a bit cramped but -- oh! the shower! The water pressure is intense. The massaging shower head is so strong that when you put your head under the spray, it sounds exactly like being in a propeller plane. Mmmmmm.
But I had a surge: Ian took J4 with the luggage trolley back to the van while I cared for M2. I gave him a bath! Seems like a strange thing to do? But I needed to entertain him. I needed to help him calm down. He needed to get clean. So in he went.
When Ian and J4 got back, he got in the bath too. He loved it. They both got clean and fresh and got to play a bit. Water refreshes, and they were refreshed, clean, and ready for jammies.
Ian dressed them, read to them, prayed with them, and put them in their beds (J4 in the second queen bed, M2 in the pack and play. Ian had to sit in there with them for a good while before they settled down and fell asleep. While he sat with them (not so bad for an introvert: sitting in a dark, quiet room, reading a book on his iPod), I showered in the aforementioned shower. Blissful. Ian had his shower (another perk of hotel showers? So much hot water!), we watched Blake Shelton on SNL, and went to bed.
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Though I didn't write as much, this part of the day was taxing. But how many times can I write "we were worn out" "it was a long day" "so many moving parts to manage" or "emotionally draining to see our home denuded of its furnishings" without sounding trite and repetitive.
But we were provided for, as always. I find it extremely helpful to shorten my view. Instead of imagining I need strength for the next 10 years, or the next year, or month, or even day, I shorten the timespan to something short. "Just get the luggage trolley to the elevator." "Give the kids a bath!" "Just help the boys get into their beds, and put effort into keeping them calm once they are lying down."
Not only did this provide stamina for the end of a long day, but the provision came from Christ himself in peace, calm and safety throughout the day, tenacity and stamina, and long suffering at the tail end.
And the blessing of this hotel room -- nay, hotel suite. The massaging shower. So much hot water.
And even without all the stuff (1st world blessings, to be sure), there is the true, sincere blessing of so many friends willing to help us in Moving, Muscling, and (for those unable to join in the physical labor), Praying.
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