In August of 2002 I packed all of my stuff up, threw it on a trailer my dad attached to the back of his truck, and drove with my parents to Nashville, TN. I had never lived anywhere other than a town where my family lived, but I was desperate to get out of town. I needed a change. I prayed about it, figured out the details and made it happen.
I called Nashville home for 11 years, I made lifelong friends and a lifetime of memories, but home was still where my family was.
In August of 2013 I packed up a very large moving truck. I paid an unreasonable amount of money for some men to drive the truck over the mountains to Charlotte, NC where I pursued my dream of working for NASCAR. I prayed about it, figured out the details and made it happen. I've called Charlotte home for 2.5 years, but home is still where my family is.
So, after a lot of prayer and a lot of peace, I have decided to move back to Starkville to pursue a new career. Not because I am unhappy here in Charlotte. Not at all. Honestly, the only thing I dislike about this city is the traffic. Everything else is fabulous. My job is, was, and will always be my dream. My boss and co-workers are the cream of the crop! And y'all, I got to LIVE my dream. Not many people can say that. I'm proud of myself for this.
And in answer to your question, yes, I love NASCAR more today than before (if that is even possible). :)
I'll never take the last 13.5 years for granted. I had the freedom and confidence to move away from home and everyone I knew (twice). I'm proud of myself, but the time has come for me to go home because home is where I want to be.
I don't feel obligated to move home. My family has been more supportive and wonderful in the last 13.5 years than I could ever have dreamed. If I wanted to stay gone for 20 more years they would stay equally as supportive. This move is for me. I want to celebrate birthdays with my family, I want to go to dance recitals for my nieces, and watch my nephew play in his first sporting event. I want to meet my sister in Jackson on the weekends and go shopping. I just want to be with the people I love the most and that is my family.
I think I left Starkville initially because I wanted to get away from myself. High school had turned me so sour to who I was that I thought by going away I would escape that. But, as the saying goes, "Wherever you go. There you are." The blessing in it all is that I was able to move away and find out who I really am. And find out that I like who I am. And now I can go back to Starkville and pursue a new career and life with a new heart. I think moving back shows wisdom and maybe even more confidence than moving away did.
Charlotte has been the most fruitful time of my life because it is here that I realized who the Lord truly is and who I truly am in Him. I have made some really precious friends that will dearly be missed. I wouldn't trade these 2.5 years here for anything in all the world. The Lord has been, and continues to be, so much more wonderful to me than I deserve. I am forever thankful for the path he has held my hand on.
So, that's why I'm moving back to Mississippi and I couldn't be happier.
My last day at NASCAR will be December 10 and then we'll pack up a little U Haul trailer, attach it to my dad's truck, and drive slowly home. Full circle.
Home ... home ... that sounds nice. I can call it home and mean it. I cannot wait!
Momma, I'm coming home!
Comments
Post a Comment