Transition

I've been back in the US for 9 months. I've moved to a new city and learned my way around; gone back to school and rediscovered what it means to study; found a new church and made some new friends. I enjoy being closer to family and I made it through a real winter. (I'm really glad that spring is here!) I've found work (and actually received my first paycheck).

When I first arrived I was told that it would take 2 or 3 years to adjust. Some weeks, in the midst of my routine, I think it might not take that long or be as hard as people make it out to be. But I'm learning that the hard part seems to come in waves. I'm in the midst of one of those waves now. It's hard enough to understand my emotions so putting them into words is difficult. I guess in many ways it feels like grief though it's hard to put a finger on exactly what I'm grieving. I know I miss my friends in France and many different aspects of life there. I'm thankful it's just a wave and this too shall pass. In the meantime I have the opportunity to keep trusting God's faithfulness to his promises to work all things out for my eternal good and his eternal glory.

This past week I went to see the movie Of Gods and Men. It's in French with subtitles so I was delighted when a non-French-speaking friend said she would go with me. In many ways it combined things I've been missing as it tells the story of 7 French monks in Algeria who were martyred in 1996. I felt at home in the mix of North African and French languages and cultures. And somehow their individual struggles to decide whether to stay or leave because of the danger was encouraging. In the midst of it all, they found strength in their routine tasks and the Daily Offices. They did what was before them and trusted God with the rest.