Greetings from The 'Ham

We've been in Birmingham a little over a month now, and things are starting to settle in a bit. It's been a whirlwind, but that seems to be the norm in our life these days.

This photo is from our first night in Birmingham. We walked to Saw's BBQ from our neighborhood with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. They live down the way from us. 

We are renting a house in what sometimes feels like Mayberry. We are so overjoyed and grateful to walk in a neighborhood and pull into a driveway. This is the first real home Andrew and I have shared together. Everything before now has been apartment living. I talk like we were so deprived. We live a rich life full of blessings, not money. 

If you've talked to me, you know what I've said about moving: the only good thing is purging your junk. And that's the truest statement that's ever been said. 

The move/purging of junk came at an interesting time of a fast that I was embarking on. This fast I speak of was with a group on friends I have in Baton Rouge. The fast corresponds with a book that is simply called "7." I hesitate to even bring it up here because it is a private matter and fasts are supposed to be done in secret, with accountability, of course. The reason I did bring it up is because it has changed my outlook on my life, especially the chapters I have chosen to participate in. (That sentence is assuming that I did not participate fully in some chapters. That assumption is correct.)

The fast includes the following chapters: food, clothing, possessions, media, waste, spending, and stress. When we were packing all of our belongings, ironically or Providentially, we were studying possessions. I was disgusted by the sheer amount of stuff we had. I was burdened and overwhelmed by stuff. Stuff that was supposed to enhance my life and make it beautiful became the cause of tremendous anxiety.

And while I had garbage bags full of items to give away because I was too stressed to deal with it, I had a friend with a voice of {Southern} reason to reel me back in to reality: you may need this possession for that luncheon, that tea, that BBQ, that future child, or for that memory one day. My friend I speak of was participating in the fast alongside me. But that's a true friend right there. She was also a true friend to have coffee with me during the food fast. We were supposed to refrain from coffee. And wine. That's true reliance on The Lord.

As I unpack my things that have made it past "The Purge", I am grateful for so much. And oddly, grateful for less. I am able to manage it better. I am able to be a better steward of what I've been given.

I've had on my "to-do" list to blog for weeks now, and I really had no idea what I would write about. Obviously, I wanted to write about our time in Birmingham, and I don't know how it turned into "my failures with fast" or "less is more" dialogue. But sometimes, that's my mind goes places I don't intend.

I may write more on the fast later, I'm not sure. It just depends on where my mind is that day, I guess.

But to end with a thought on Birmingham: we love it. I've made lots of friends already. It's been a domino effect with activities and play groups that lead to more activities and play groups. My neighbor is the most precious God-send with a darling baby girl. The majority of friends I've made are Ole Miss girls. How funny! Geaux Rebel Black Bears? Those Rebel Black Bear girls have befriended me in the sweetest way. I am grateful.