The Reitsma's

My intern friends --> I love you all, just so you know! I really want to give an update here and have to get some sleep before The Overnight (see below) so I am going to cross post here... So, this is from my blog but edited for all of you... in the interest of full disclosure. :) Sorry it's SO LOOOONG.

So, is is almost here - The Overnight! 36 hours from now I'll be walking with thousands of people along the Chicago lakefront - 26 of us (including me and Eve Rickert) from the "Laurie's Legacy" team will be walking 20 miles, starting and ending at Soldier Field... the walk starts at dusk and ends at dawn! Can you imagine that? - The 26 of us plus thousands more walking the whole stinking night along the Chicago lakefront all united by a cause we wish we were never affected by... suicide. (We are raising funds for the AFSP - American Foundation for Suicide Prevention... they work for suicide prevention as well as supporting survivors of suicide.)

Freaking out a bit at realizing the physical and emotional toll of the event. Simultaneously excited that this event is almost here - Thankful to get to contribute to awareness and funding for this important cause as well as honoring Laurie Boncimino... PLEASE pray for us!!!

My life is also kind of overwhelmed with contrasting emotions about the news which we have been sharing with people over the last few days... Mark and I are finally... moving to Colorado! We had no prospects at all and then in a 22 hour period at the end of last week Mark had 2 calls to set up interviews, 2 phone interviews and 2 job offers just like that! It was really crazy and overwhelming. I had been asking for God to make it clear what my/our next step was so... there it was, clarity. 2 job offers within 2 hours was needed for us to not question and waffle...

So, God is granting us a desire we have both always had separately and then together - to live in Colorado. We planned to move there way back in 2000... but life and various other messes happened... Anyhow - I guess it is like any stage of life or anywhere you are growing... there is always loss along with newness... And right now I am sad and afraid about the loss of my community - the loss of everything I have known since I graduated from college, the loss of everything I have known since I became, "Jackie Reitsma." I have had the most amazing staffs, friends, students, leaders, experiences, growth... really the most amazing community. Community is what I fear the loss of most and yet I already feel it being pulled away from my grasping fingertips. We do know some people in Colorado like John and Nancy, Brian, and some others, so that is good!... but it will be different... I am afraid of finding a new church and am making an educated (if pessimistic) guess that I will never have a small group that even close to rivals the experience I have had...

In the quiet moments when Mark and I talk about it I can feel some excitement and anticipation as we dream about what life will be like and how - what we had hoped was actually happening... We can talk about having a family in a few years - well I want a family... a nice small manageable one... he wants more of a partial sports team I think. Our joke is that he wants 5, I want 2... so we're going to compromise at 2 :) Anyhow, that is still a few years down the road... But when we think about going for a walk and seeing the mountains or driving an hour to a national park... it feels good. Both of us have creation as one of our spiritual pathways so that will be really awesome too... So many things about the job for Mark are so exciting (6th grade math science position at Excel Charter Academy in Arvada, Colorado - NW of Denver) So although there are many things to be thankful for and excited about --> But right now I am still mainly in the shock... sadness... fear place. I * dread * driving away from here. It is one of the few thoughts that can make me tear up "on demand."

So, there are my thoughts for now - will update as we know more info...

Beautiful though, isn't it?