Trying to enjoy this wild and crazy ride...

When it's time to open presents on Christmas morning, we have a tradition of opening presents one at a time, starting with the youngest family member and working our way around the group to the oldest, until the space under the Christmas tree is empty and the living room is knee high in wrapping paper. I like the savoring of the moment, being able to see what each person received, noticing the expression on their face when they open the gift that they'd been wishing for.

In Elizabeth world, life would happen just like that.  Big life changing events would only be allowed to happen one at a time.  Never would events like having a baby and moving happen simultaneously, God forbid!  Your youngest child is leaving for college?  Well, of course the whole world should momentarily stop while you process the emotions of this huge life change!  In Elizabeth world, time to process change, to savor life's important moments, would be mandatory.  Don't I wish!

My husband should be arriving at the airport in Kumasi, Ghana, West Africa as I am typing these words.  Tomorrow he will finally be home where he will be greeted by boxes stacked almost ceiling height in the living room and all of the kitchen shelves and pantry empty.  Welcome home, honey!  God willing, the sale of our house closes in under two weeks.  It looks like the sale of our new home won't close until the end of the month, so we will be in limbo for a while as we wait.  All of these events, taken one at a time, seem reasonably doable.  Except....

On previous trips to Ghana, we've been at our Ghanaian brother in the Lord's church conference at the same time as a group from a church in London.  This month, that church  in London is having a conference, at which my husband has been asked to speak.  So, in the middle of all of this moving and house closing turmoil, we are going to LONDON!  What an amazing gift this is!  I want to open it, examine it, turn it over in my hands, and feel all the feels of excitement.  Except, I'm too dang busy signing documents and packing boxes and paying for inspections and appraisals and all the rest of the overwhelming things that moving and selling and buying a home entails.  But that's not all....

Since we're going to be in London, it's way too close to my husband's ancestral home of SCOTLAND to not hop over there for a day trip.  So, while we won't be exploring Scotland thoroughly by any means, we will set our feet on the soil of my husband's paternal grandparent's native land.  But that's not all...

Since we're going to be in London, it's way too close to PARIS, to not take a quick trip over there to at least lay eyes on the Eiffel Tower and to eat a croissant and to savor a café au lait!  Can you believe it?  Oh, how I wish we could really take time to thoroughly explore Paris, and then move on to see the rest of France, but, for now,  the fact that I'm even going to get to see Paris at all is abundantly above all that I could ask or think.  (Why my fascination with France, ever since I was a young girl?  Because this is my ancestry on Mama's side.)

I feel like I'm sitting in the middle of a Christmas present opening free for all.  Wrapping paper is flying everywhere.  People are squealing with delight.  Only it's all happening at once so I don't get to savor it, to notice all of the details, to feel all of the feels.  Elizabeth world is turned all topsy turvy and Elizabeth is holding on for dear life, just trying to enjoy this wild and crazy ride.

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