Whirlwind Trip

Well it is spring break for the kiddos and so we decided to take a little road trip; we went to Greensboro.  In the past when we have 'gone back' (we used to live there) the trip seemed long and we left wishing we could have seen more people, not this time.  For some reason the trip moved along-we did stop in Taccoa Falls to check out a potential college for Rachel.  The falls were awesome and the college is promising, we will see.  Both kids were able to see several of their friends in Greensboro; Rachel and I even got in a few innings at the Greensboro Grasshoppers opening night baseball game.  (Yes, they named the baseball team after an insect--folks, you gotta know that NC is famous for basketball not baseball!)  We all ate our way through town trying to hit as many of our favorite restaurants as possible and even spent time seeing many of our former colleagues and church friends.  

The main reason for our trip was to meet with a painter and house stager to prepare our house for selling.  Our renter will be leaving soon and it is time to get our house spruced up on put on the market.  I think I had forgotten how pretty our old neighborhood was!  The really exciting news is that we all agreed that with a little work we can finish enclosing the closet in the basement and then we will have a second master suite and a 5 bedroom, 3.5  bathroom house! If any of  you know someone who is looking to move to NC, Greensboro is a great town and in about a month we will have a super house deal!!

Driving home last night I found myself very aware of the white lines on the road.  I know they are always there, but with trucks whizzing by and dark curvy roads, I was comforted by simple white lines on the edge of the road.  It reminded me how important it is to have boundaries. We don't often welcome boundaries, but in reality they not only provide limits- but freedom.  I remember learning in college some great advice: never accept a job that doesn't have a job description-if the employer doesn't have one, you write one and present it to the employer for approval prior to signing on.  It is very freeing to know exactly what is expected of you rather than spending time creatively trying to meet expectations only to learn your understanding of the job is not what your employer had in mind!

Studies show that young children will tend to stay in one area of an unfenced yard, but use the whole yard if there is a fence.  Certainly the white lines on the road prevented us from straying into areas that were unsafe and provided guidance and freedom within those limits to get us home safely.  It is too bad that we often view God's rules as restrictions to limit our freedom, when in reality, when we know the limits (and the truth) it will set us free!