Back in March when Melissa and I came to visit North Carolina to scout out jobs and apartments, I decided to buy a new hat with the logo of my soon-to-be school (that would be UNC, not Duke). Many of you know that when you buy a new hat, it takes a little while to break in completely. The bill has to be curved just right, the fabric has to be just soft enough but not too soft, and it has to fit comfortably on your head without being too tight or too loose. To my surprise, my new Tar Heels hat fit perfectly right away. It was the perfect combination of bill curve, fabric softness, and comfort on my rather large head (I won't say what size I had to buy).
Just today, the concept of new hats inspired some thoughts about new homes. Usually, when you move to a new place, it takes a little while to settle in. You have to find your niche in the new culture and community. As I was thinking about our new home here in North Carolina, I couldn't help but compare it to my dear old Tar Heels cap, and to my surprise, I found many parallels. Moving to North Carolina was a completely new step for both me and Melissa. All of our previous moves typically involved being relatively close to family or moving to someplace where we already knew some people, as was the case in Naperville. Just like my brand new cap, North Carolina was completely new and unknown to us. Then, I took the parallel another step further when I realized how I felt an immediate sense of comfort about being here even though it was completely unknown. Despite some boxes still left to unpack and a job still left to find (for me), I have an overwhelming sense that right now this is where we are supposed to be. It's hard to say about five years down the road or even next year, but right now the hat and the home fit perfectly. My head feels like it's supposed to fit in that hat, and my life feels like it fits perfectly in North Carolina.
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2 comments:
I'm glad things are starting out well for you guys. When I first started here in Neoga it was like your typical 'new hat' that you had to break in, but now it's really comfortable. You're lucky that this has worked out so well for you. I hope it continues to stay that way.
Oh and I like your 'new hat' analogy. Mind of I steal that and use it in a sermon sometime?
You're welcome to use it whenever you want...I'm glad you liked it
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