Finding a Place to Settle

You want to hear a funny story?

Well, it's kind of an "aww, bummer" story, but still kind of funny.

Back in the 1850's my ancestors left their home in Tennessee and traveled north by flatboat to find a new place to settle.

They traveled hundreds of miles to the land of a newly settled town. They didn't think much of this new settlement. They had major doubts that it would be successful.

So they traveled back south a little ways and established a small settlement right alongside the Missouri river. They named this settlement Sonora.

So what became of that settlement they passed up?

It grew into what is now known as Omaha, Nebraska.

 

 What became of Sonora?

Somewhere in the middle of the Missouri river lies the settlement my ancestors began. The forces of the Mighty Mo took over and swallowed up their tiny town. It was a slow process, but it was inevitable, so they packed up and settled about 30 miles away.

I have heard this story a number of times and it always makes me think of where my family and I will permanently settle, if we "settle" at all. 

We have moved once a year the past four years. Not only does that take a physical and mental toll on me, but a major emotional strain as well. I get emotionally attached to a place and when I have to get used to something new, I get all out of sorts. That probably explains the overwhelming sadness I mentioned in my last post. Thankfully the adjustment to this house has been going a lot better.

Even though we seriously plan on being in this house longer than a year, we know that this isn't ultimately where we want to settle down. We've moved from place to place in hopes of something better. When we lived in Waverly we kept hoping to get back to Kansas City. When we moved to Kansas City we stayed with my in-laws until we could find our own place. Shortly after we moved to our apartment we knew that wasn't the place to raise our children. So now we are at a house, which is definitely a step up from our apartment, but will not fulfill our needs for the long run. While we are happy to have a house, a backyard, and no upstairs neighbors that make our floors shake, it's not the place we want to settle.

Ryan's parents have lived in the same house since Ryan was born. I love going through old photos and seeing how certain rooms have changed over the years and all the different remodels. I know Ryan enjoys going back to his childhood home. I have a couple of friends who can go back to their childhood home as well.

I know nowadays staying in the same house is somewhat rare. I don't really know of anyone in my generation or really even in my brother's generation that have stayed put. A lot of my friends have moved from state to state. Others have been in their house for a long time, but have plans to relocate when they get the chance.

I always have big dreams of where I want to raise my family. There are times I go back to my small, rural hometown to visit my mom and I'll be sitting out back on a nice day and I will have such a content feeling wash over me. My high school golf coach lives behind my mom and I'll see her and her family grilling and having a good time. A girl who graduated a couple years before I did will walk by with her husband and wave. I'll drive down Main Street and a flood of happy memories will drift into my mind. I can see myself raising my boys in this little town. (I have a whole blog post in my head dedicated to my hometown.)

Ryan and I will be driving out in the country. Anywhere in the country and I'll have this yearning to live in a big ol' farmhouse with a giant picture window overlooking miles and miles of fields and hills. In the middle of Kansas, Nebraska... I don't care where, but I just want a giant area for the boys to explore and a clear sky at night to see the stars.

I'll be driving to my cousin's house in suburban Kansas City and see kids running from one giant yard to another playing, moms and dads chatting with each other in their driveways and families out taking walks with their dogs. It has such a small town feel but there's a Target not too far away and multiple opportunities for family fun.

Other times we'll be driving through the historic neighborhoods of Brookside and I feel I would just love to live in one of those big old homes and send my kids to the neighborhood Catholic school where they can walk home in big groups of green plaid-ed kiddos. Walk down to Reading Reptile children's bookstore on the weekends or a nice stroll at Loose Park.

Sometimes my dreams go out of state. I would love to live in the mountains of Colorado or amongst the glistening lakes of Minnesota. A totally different state, totally different people... a different landscape... a different culture.

Who knows what the future has in store for us. I keep waiting to feel that at home, peaceful, settled feeling. Most of all, I want it for my kids. I don't want to constantly uproot them. I want them to be safe and happy and in a place to build good memories.

I'm sure God will lead us to where we need to go. I just hope we listen and settle in a good place...

.... that won't eventually be covered by a major body of water.