joy in living in the right place

Today we ventured more than an hour south to the city of Barrie. To anyone used to big cities it would seem small. But for me, although raised in and having lived in many cities, it is too big. It is like a necessary evil to go there, this time for my daughter to get her immunizations for her trip to Uganda, and some shopping at the big mall and the bigger specialty stores. I am always so relieved to get back home. That trip north late in the day, whatever the occasion, is always full of conversations in my head about how glad I am that I live in Muskoka. Only last evening my husband and I took a slow walk through our "downtown" and browsed the shop windows. We saw the price of real estate and mused again on how grateful we are that we bought our house when we did - nine years ago, when we still lived in Uganda. That whole story of God's leading and our internal desires working in concert is amazing. This time we mused more particularly about how we were led to make that decision when our lives in Uganda were still relatively peaceful. We didn't understand why we were doing it. We just felt God nudging us. And He led amazingly all the way. Last night we recognized more fully how difficult it would have been for us to make such a decision when we finally left Uganda in a relative rush, due to the terrible persecution and abuse we were experiencing. How terrible it would have been to not only cope with that trauma, settle our kids in some kind of normality in a new place in a new province and a whole new way of doing things back in Canada, but also to have the peace and assurance to find God's leading about a place to make our home, let alone find a home we liked and be able to afford to buy it. How profound it is now to look back once again in a fresh way and rejoice at God's leading back then. And each day, especially as I wake to birdsong and look out on the river running through town, I rejoice again that whatever else is going on, I live in a lovely place, a little patch of wilderness in the midst of a lovely town, in the lovely area of Muskoka. There will be many more trips south, for many years to come, and always I will be able to look forward to that homecoming to a home I love in a place that is so right for me and our family. And how blessed I am in this land where so many are homeless and struggling, rootless and afraid. Since I have known many rootless, fearful days in my life, I appreciate this security all the more. And I desire to give to others out of this place. Much of that has already happened. There is so much more to come. As this home is part of God's saving the best home to the last in my life, so I trust He is saving many more adventures that will surpass all that I have known. Here's to more roads, more adventures, and more homecomings!