THE Year of Transition

I don’t think I’ve ever had a year with as much transition as this year holds.  I’ve been MIA from the blog world lately, so I thought I’d share a little of why…life is both exciting and exhausting right now!  Here are just a few of the transitions happening in the Tarr family this year:

1.  We are moving for the eighth time in eight years (let’s hope this is that last for a long time).

We’ve joked that it’s a hobby of ours to move every year.  Please don’t believe that for one minute.  I feel like I’m walking into a dream at the thought of “settling” down for more than a year or so…unless the Lord tells us otherwise, I’m so happy to stay put for awhile!

I am packing a house and regularly making trips to our new place to make it a home, while trying to maintain life in the current house we’re in.  Just writing that makes me tired!  Thankfully, we’ll be all done by the 21st (except for cleaning the house we’ve rented).

I’m getting lots of organization done which makes the type A in me very happy.

To make a really long story short (I will write out the long version at some point, it’s a tremendous testimony of the Lord’s provision, faithfulness, kindness, and generosity), we are moving onto 40 acres to begin fulfilling a dream and vision the Lord began forming in us six years ago.  (Pictures to come soon!)

Moving while pregnant is challenging.  Raise your hand if you think moving while not pregnant is challenging enough?

2.  Blane will transition into a new office. We are praising the Lord for His detailed, abundant provision even here.  This is just another detail of the long list of the Lord’s kindness to us!

3.  Tara starts kindergarten this summer. I’m hoping to get into a routine well before the baby comes so that we can take a break after he/she is born and then resume easily, without feeling like we’re starting from scratch.

I’m having fun planning and preparing to begin school.  I have been so blessed with women who have gone before me and have spoken wise words to me as we venture into this new season.  It has truly taken the overwhelming aspect away and helped me to have a very realistic perspective. (Thank you, Lord!)

Kindergarten is meant to be fun, and that’s what I intend for it to be!

4.  We are transitioning into another local body of believers.  This is one of the most exciting parts of life to me right now.  In a big part, because the Lord has led us in such a way that seems ideal if we are going to be moving out of one church and into another.  We have deep affection for the people and pastors we’ve walked with for the last two years and are excited about continuing in partnership with them. We are not “leaving” due to any problems or hurt.  What grace!!

Simply put, we believe the Lord is calling us to participate in a vision for the Church in the greater body of Knoxville, as it’s launched within another local body of whom we’ve grown in deeper relationship with over the last two years.

Thrilling to me, is seeing the work of the Lord in the body we are moving from, the body we are moving into, and across Knoxville.  I want to partner with the Lord!

5.  Lord willing, we’ll welcome a healthy baby around the end of August. The last four months have been some of the hardest I’ve had in a long time between horrible, debilitating nausea and migraines to extreme exhaustion.  I’ve been back in survival mode which has taken me back to adjusting to life with two children after Brant was born.

It’s not been easy….but I have to say that at this point, the weeks are ticking by faster than I remember with my others!  Lets hope that in the dog days of summer, I can say the same thing.

I have expectations that transitioning from two to three kids must be easier than it was going from one to two.  Really, it has to be.

So, amidst all this craziness, the Lord has taken the opportunity to keep me in a place of awareness regarding my desperate need for him.  Thus, my posts here and here lately.

And despite all there is to do right now, we’ve had time to enjoy this early summer…