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IMG_0641, originally uploaded by jshannon331.
I dream of what Venice looks like in springtime. I imagine what real greek yogurt would taste like. I wonder if I have a big enough handle on portuguese to get by in Lisbon. My heart stirs at the thought of Paris at nighttime. I had thought all of these things would magically disappear as soon I got married to be replaced by more acceptable dreams of owning a home and starting a family. And, I suppose, they did. It was just, then I began dreaming of homes in far-away places and traveling with our children. Rich and I began traveling together and found ourselves planning our next adventure before we finished the one we were in. We pour over pictures (this one in particular from Scotland), relive experiences, laugh about the people we've met and the places we stayed. A modified-version of the original.
At first, I had thought that this was indicative of rootless behavior exhibited by the two of us. What is wrong with us? Why can't our hearts just be settled where we are? Is it unhealthy to make plans to put down roots when parts of us are pulling up from the ground?
I don't think this is an uncommon occurrence. Particularly with the steps we've made in order to purchase a home recently, I think it's only natural to reassess the place we've found ourselves in and what we're called to do.
We were called to be here, in New Jersey, for now. We know this because, this is where we are. Our hearts are connected to the community and to our families that live here. So, we will put our roots down here for now. We will invest where we are, with everything we have, for now. We are learning what it means to be present, to fulfill mandates and to trust. This doesn't mean to neglect the parts of us that long for something new. For all that we've learned about roots, we also know that they can cover more ground than meets the eye. It's so very simple, we just over-looked it.