Moving Out Of Beaufort

I have to be blunt - I am not a big fan of moving. Yet, I have been called to a vocation that seems to have moving at the very heart of it. As a pastor, you will most likely move from time to time, but as a chaplain you will most definitely move on a regular basis. I think the real trick is finding a way to enjoy what life has to offer without collecting more "stuff" along the way than you truly need. As a chaplain, the list of "stuff" I need as dictated by the Navy is almost infinitely long. A significant portion of our express shipment was exclusively eaten up by my uniforms and professional books. The other real trick, I believe, is finding a way to find joy in the midst of suffering. Our Princess has helped us to not take ourselves too seriously. Even as the movers were loading our "stuff" on the truck last week, Princess was dancing on their boxes.

I wish that we had thought to get a picture of it, but she spent a significant portion of the day hibernating in the "safe room." She referred to our spare bedroom as the safe room because we had instructed the movers who were picking up our household goods load to not touch the spare bedroom - it was all personal items going with us or being picked up the next day as our express goods shipment.

Our Princess also helped us to stay grounded as she decorated her boxes before they went on the truck. The movers were great about keeping her comfortable.

You still have to wonder what was going through her mind as she watched her entire world get loaded on a truck, hermetically sealed in wrapping paper, cardboard boxes. I do know that this has been very emotional for her, as it has all of us. Our last night here together she was having difficulty going to sleep and I heard her crying in the next room. I went in to talk to her and she was very upset that the pillow at the BOQ was not as comfortable as hers, she would miss Madre and me when we die, and that she would miss her friends in Beaufort when we go to Sasebo. The emotional whiplash from the conversation gave me some unique insight into the real fact that this move is hard on her - so for now we simply love her.