It’s no secret than when Ryan and I were first married, and moved to St. Louis, I didn’t love it. I didn’t even like it. I didn’t want to live here. The weather was different…too hot in the summer, not enough snow in the winter. The grocery stores were different. The news broadcasts were different. Even the way the traffic lights operated was different. And I was counting down the days until we could leave (just over two years, in case you were wondering).

And when we moved away, even though it was just for a year, I was relieved. We were out of St. Louis!

But, sometime, in that year we were gone, I realized I was missing St. Louis.

And so we moved back, after that year, as was the plan. And it was still only supposed to be temporary. Just one more year. But I was glad to be home. Back to my grocery stores. The familiar faces on the news. The mild winters (even though I still wasn’t sold on the heat of the summers!). The Cardinals. We were home.

And then we stayed.

We weren’t supposed to, but we stayed. Permanently.

And I figured, I better really make myself at home. So we found festivals and events that we looked forward to every year. Favorite restaurants, favorite places to visit. A church that we actually became members of.

Eventually, we bought a home. And we really got to know that area. A new church, new festivals, more places to enjoy visiting.

St. Louis is home. It’s a home I never wanted, one that I never thought would last. And now I can’t imagine living anywhere else.

It’s funny how life works out, isn’t it? As always, I’m glad that God’s plans are so much better than ours!