The Reattachment

January 2013

June 2015

There were moments in the months leading up to our move when I wondered whether living in DC a second time would be as lovely as living there the first or whether it would just turn into a huge disappointment. We had such a great experience before, how could this second venture measure up? Would the newness and excitement of the city wear off? Would our church, friends, and neighbors be skeptical of our return, holding us at a distance in case we were to run off again?

To my wonderment and relief, as I look back at the past few weeks, I see a series of events that has resulted in a rapid reattachment of our family to our community. Reattachment is the best word I can think of to describe what's happening: it sort of feels like our family is a limb that was severed from its body but is being gently reconnected, ligament by ligament, until it's back where it was in the first place, and it appears as though it was never gone.

Four families have opened their homes to us to share meals and fellowship. We've gone back to our old Sunday-night post-church pizza hangout. We spent a Sunday afternoon playing volleyball with fellow church members. I went to a neighbor's wedding. I took Gracie and Judah to auditions for the ballet school Gracie attended before. We've enrolled our kids in school and met other families through community meetings. Harvey's been playing softball with coworkers. We've visited several attractions, including the zoo and a few museums.

Our view on our walk to the Oklahoma Prayer Breakfast

Outside Daddy's building (Cannon)

Searching for pandas at the National Zoo

Tabitha with her former teacher

Judah's first audition with The Washington School of Ballet

Gracie's an old pro.

Singing a hymn at our friend's wedding

Moving to DC the first time was an adventure, entering an exciting new world. Moving here a second time has been more like coming home, thanks to the grace God has shown us through some beautiful, generous people, members of a body that has welcomed this separated limb back with ligaments of acceptance and love.