Never Say Never

"I will never live in Arkansas again. I'm a Florida girl."

"I will never do one of those direct sell businesses."

"I will never homeschool."

These are all words I've spoken and words I'm now eating. And I could list many more "never" statements I've made that turned out the same way. Proverbs 19:21 keeps ringing true... "Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

I've made so many plans over the years. I KNEW what was best for me. I KNEW what was best for my family. But don't you love how God takes those moments where we are certain we KNOW what's best and He makes a new way clear for us. It seems it's in the moments where WE decide our paths without consulting HIM that He steps in and shows us a new path. And I always end up so incredibly thankful that HE knew what was best. HIS way is always worlds better than MINE. Always.

We often develop our "never" statements from past experiences or from stigmas we believe. That's been the case with every never statement I can think of in my life. But I've found that when I ask God to direct my steps I don't make "never" statements. I know He may have very different plans. And that's exactly what has happened with a big, big move coming up in our lives.

So here's the official revealing of our next big life change...

The travel has made positive differences in our lives far greater than we ever expected. My husband's pain is definitely present when we are on the road, but compared to the level he experiences at home it is practically nonexistent on the road. That holds true for his physical pain as well as mental and emotional. Each time we return home, the intensity of pain returns to a higher level. One of our kiddos has communication delays, and we have noticed the travel has helped him more than anything! He has some incredible speech therapists whom we adore and are very pleased, but we notice improvements accelerated even beyond therapy when we're on the road. Socially all three of our littles have developed so much on the road. They are always playing, interacting, enjoying nature, interested in learning, and more. They don't ask for tv or iPads or games. They love to just find new things to experience at each new location. And as mommy it is definitely more relaxing for me. There is less to clean and put away and fix. I focus far more time on my family. It also helps me grow my business because I have more opportunities to interact with various people from all walks of life.

On top of that, we've felt bombarded by stuff. The more stuff we have, the more stressful life seems. There's much to be said for simplicity. We also have long-term dreams for our family that could be more challenging with our current lifestyle.

We prayed about it all. We spent a fair amount of time asking God to direct our steps because a life change this big is nothing to take lightly. We felt confident in His answer. However, it presented some definite challenges. But it's amazing how He puts the exact people in your life at the exact time you need them. So here goes...

We are in the process of selling all our stuff (I say "all" rather loosely), fixing up our house to list it, and plan to live full-time on the road in an RV.

Crazy, right? Absolutely! We have three small kids. They will be starting school. How will this work? What about extra-curricular activities? What about church? What about social groups? How in the world could this be the plan for us???

I had so many questions swirling through my head. I felt overwhelmed and, quite honestly, scared out of my mind. So I decided if we were going to do this we would make a 3-year-plan to make it happen. That would give us 3 full years to gradually sell our stuff and fix up our house. It would be 3 years of the kids attending school so each child would go through kindergarten at public school. They would all get that experience. Which brings me to a concern with which I struggled. Would we homeschool? But how will they develop socially? Would we make them "weird" kids? I have a master's degree, but it's definitely not in elementary education. Will I be a good enough teacher for them? No... would I be the best teacher for them? I don't want just "good enough." Maybe three years would give me time to figure it out.

But God pushed me. Don't plan for three years. We've always wanted to stick around our current town until our oldest graduates. He will be a senior next year, so he'll graduate in May of 2019. That's as long as we need to stay here. So that will be the time to go.

WHAT?!? A little over a year?? That's all the time I have to prepare for this? That's all the time we have to fix the house, list it, get it sold, etc? All three of our littles won't attend kindergarten at the elementary school a block from our house?

But... I've gently been reminded over and over again how faithful He always is to us.... how His way is always worlds better than ours. And that homeschool struggle... I suddenly began connecting with numerous homeschool parents. It took one mention to somebody through a question, and it was as if gasoline was poured on a spark. They invited me to homeschool mom meetings and began connecting me with more and more homeschool families. My questions were all being answered and even making me excited about this adventure. My fears subsided and confidence in His plan replaced them.

So that's our current plan. Our boys will attend public school for Pre-K and Kindergarten next year while our oldest is a senior. We will use the year to get everything ready for the big move and for me to learn as much as I can about homeschooling. Then when school gets out in the spring of 2019, we're out. We'll be on the road until the Lord guides us back (or wherever He leads us next).

Now... is this concrete? No. Because as I stated earlier, I've learned that nothing ever is. I am fully open to the fact that maybe He's using this preparation to guide us into something completely different. Maybe He knows that selling everything and preparing in this way is what we need for the next thing coming our way. We don't know. But for now we are following where we are currently being led. And we are remaining faithful to the truth He has made evident over and over again in our lives.... HIS way is ALWAYS worlds better than OURS!