Thursday, September 8, 2011

Coffee's On!

Yesterday Mark accepted an offer for a new job. There it is! Those of us who know us (me) intimately know that this is the fulfillment of a deeply held desire for so many reasons. The primary one?

WE'RE GOING HOME!

The field of law is competitive, and I've always been up for the ride. So, even last year when we reluctantly packed up our house and moved from a community we loved, we did so with the intention that the time away would open doors and provide greater opportunities for our family. We knew it would be tough, we knew it wouldn't be forever, but we still didn't know how long our trek in The Great White North would last. 

And, as eager as we were to return to our family and friends, we certainly wouldn't do it unless it was the right thing for our family, in the long and short term, which is why this news is so remarkable. See, we were preparing for at least another year here, maybe longer, with the prayer that we'd be back in time for our children to receive their religious education and First Communion in our diocese. 

I prayed. I prayed every.single.day. The kids prayed with me, and every quiet moment we had on the way to the library or Wal-Mart was spent in short, pleading prayers that we would know what opportunity to grab for, that we would be prudent in the decision to move our family, and that our wants were in line with the will of God. 

We also had a plan; a nice little plan with a bow wrapped around it, a plan that was practical...to us. But this particular opportunity was not a part of our plan. It's much different, yet, when we looked at how it literally fell into our lap out of nowhere, when everything Mark has done up to this point not only qualified him, but made him an ideal candidate for this opportunity, it made all of the moving around, the loneliness and uncertainty all of a sudden make perfect sense.

We've lived in many cities and states in the past few years. Anyone with a family knows how special it is for young children to have their close family around, and for our kids, this was particularly significant. All summer the kids would cry as we left home and had to head back to our house two hours away. During the week they'd cry for their cousins, their grandparents, and aunts and uncles.

Giving our boys back the wonder of a childhood filled with their loved-ones, wrapped in the security of extended family and friends in their daily lives, is what I am excited for most. My heart is full knowing that we'll now be able to provide that, above all else, for our boys. I'm humbled with joy.



10 comments:

Abby said...

HOORAY!!!!!!! This was my guess, but after talking at the class reunion, I didn't that this dream would come to fruition for awhile yet.. how exciting that God has such wonderful surprises! Can't wait to read about the transition - and maybe even see you more often!!!
....and out pops my selfish reason for being extra-excited about your move. :)
Send my congrats to Mark as well!

Sarah said...

Congrats!!! What wonderful news!! I hope everything continues to go well . . . can't wait to hear more!

Sarah said...

PS Those are three handsome little men!! : )

Catie H said...

Congrats, Mallory & Mark!! (Funny the order those go in! ;)

There are so many joys associated with living close to family. I am so happy for you all!

And your boys are adorable!! Paul reminds me so much of the baby Luke that I remember. :)

Catie

Mallory said...

Thanks you all! Yes, we are very excited and will have a super busy month ahead. The change was a bit unexpected, but it was something we couldn't pass up. We are honestly very excited about everything to come.

Abby, we'd be happy to have you anytime :) . I make good coffee, and the boys are really easy to play with.

Sarah and Catie, thank you for your sweet words. This is the first pic of the boys I've been able to take where Paul isn't crying with food all over his face and Luke isn't trying to make silly faces in the camera. Success!

Monica said...

This is wonderful news! I'm so happy for you Mallory! What an exciting change, which will make all the sorting, boxing, and packing much more bearable! :) Your adorable little family will be in my prayers!

Anonymous said...

wonderful news!!!! i have to say, little paul looks like his uncle erik in that picture!!! love it! such sweet little boys..so glad to hear the Lord answering your prayers in such an obvious and unexpected way!! what will mark be doing? this is great!! will you be in brainerd? baxter? deerwood? so so happy for you!! prayers continue!!
maria

Mallory said...

Thanks, Monica! Off we go again...I can confidently say that I am now an expert packer.

Maria, CONGRATULATIONS on your BOY! Welcome to the club! Mark's new job is in a firm closer to Deerwood rather than Brainerd/Baxter. He will be practicing business and real estate law with a firm, as opposed to prosecuting criminals for the county, which he's doing now.

Funny you say it, because I've always thought my little Paul resembles his "Uncle E," too, and definitely favors the Severson side, as opposed to my bookends who look...a-hem, a bit like me :-) .

Catie H said...

Oops, I meant baby Michael!! Yes, Paul definitely has his own adorable look while the Luke and Michael greatly favor each other. So sweet!!!

Mallory said...

Ha, Catie! I figured that's what you meant ;-) . Yes, Michael looks a lot like Luke did during the days of AML.

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