Today's Thoughts on Moving

Moving is like dying.

I feel like we are saying farewell to so many people. It is good to have so much time to do it, like a drawn out deathbed farewell rather than a quick accidental death, but it's still so difficult. Some days I don't feel sincere when I say, "We will really miss Raymond. We know it's right to move, but it is still really hard." Other days I feel like I can't say that without getting choked up. People's sincerity surprises me. I am touched by people sincerely saying that they will miss us and we will leave behind some emptiness in their lives. It's made me ponder a lot on relationships between people. The amazing thing is that those connections may fade a bit or weaken with disuse, but they are still there. I like to think of us connected to all the people we've known or loved or touched somehow and those connections meeting with others, like a huge spider web. I know we were meant to have this human experience. I've always loved Elder Maxwell's quote about how we are "each other's clinical material." In our individual quests for perfection we must make these connections constantly. It's such an important part of God's plan.
In many ways I am excited to start making even more connections. I think the boys share this enthusiasm. They are excited to start a new school tomorrow, but find it hard to imagine themselves there. I have the same feeling when I try to imagine our new home and neighborhood. They aren't "mine" yet, whatever that may mean, but they will be soon.

I've been thinking about houses, and of course this one in particular. I was practicing my violin the other day and thinking about all the notes of music that have been played or sung in this house. Where did all that music go? I like to think of it being absorbed into the walls and "spirit" of this house. Similarly all the words that have been spoken or read, and the laughter and tears that have been shared. It's neat to think of all these things soaking into the wood and carpet and ceiling of this house, making it a home, instead of just a place we live in. This house has a personality and although most of the people in town call it "The Zemp" house, we feel that it also has a little bit of us in it that will never disappear from it entirely. It is good to leave something of us behind here in this place that we love so dearly.