It’s been a decade since I moved and I’d forgotten all the logistics that go into moving.  Also, I’ve never fully moved internationally (I always had a home base at my parents) and I’ve never moved with kids.  Our to-do list is 3 pages long and that doesn’t count the Mennonite Central Committee preparation list. We currently are dividing tasks into 3 main areas: packing, people, logistics.

Packing is exactly what it sounds like.  We’re storing our things long-term at my brother and sister-in-law’s place outside Washington, D.C. So far we have two tote bins there and another 3 are sitting in my entryway, ready to go down this weekend.  

We’ve taken so many car loads to the thrift store I think they know our car by now.  And the recycling of hundreds of pages of old papers from high school, college, graduate school, finances, bills, and life!  The emotional cost of packing varies, bringing both tears and delight at remembering life gone past. C.S. Lewis writes in his book “Out of the Silent Planet” that experiences are made complete in memory.  I hold that thought close as I leaf through veterinary bills from a dog passed away and discharge instructions from the hospital after the births of my children. We’ve had a lot of life here.

People: This part of our list we’ve done the most work on.  Telling people about our move has been a very emotional experience.  While most people have responded very positively and with much encouragement, we’ve had some who give congratulations with tears in their eyes.  Each time this happens, an emotional thud hits my heart as I remember that we aren’t just “going”, we are also “leaving”. And leaving is hard! We have dearly loved so much of life here.  I wrote my parents a letter recently about leaving the house we live in – the place we got married and had our children. Such precious memories! Still, we have great plans for keeping in touch, due in large part to Charles’ communication prowess.  He’s got this blog set up and has investigated the best video chat options. He’s porting our phone numbers to Google and collecting mailing addresses so that we can share some of Cambodia’s delights – like coffee and pepper.

Logistics: This is our catch-all category for all the official things we have to do.  Medical, dental and eye exams, immunizations, transferring the house bills out of our name, and so on.  While these things doing usually take a lot of time, there are so many details to track! I’m grateful for lists that I can refer back to, helping me stay on track.  

In the midst of all this, I am not overwhelmed.  I have moments, but for the most part I have my eyes fixed on the “what’s next?”.  I don’t have to figure out the details of anything that isn’t happening this week. So, steadily, we are working away at our lists and figuring things out each step of the way.