I can't believe that we're now counting our time left here in hours, rather than in days, weeks, and months. Today was our last Sunday at Holy Trinity Brompton, our church home for the last two years. Worship was amazing - it was as if God prompted the worship leader to choose all songs that had significance to me from both our time here and from back home. The sermon was about God's calling and was based in Joshua - much encouragement and practical take-aways for my heart right now. We said goodbye to several friends that we've seen weekly or more in the creche and at Tots n Toddlers, even since Brooks was less than a year old. It's strange to say goodbye to the children especially, knowing that I've played with them for most of their lives, and wondering when if ever we'll see them again.
Last Thursday was our last Tots and thankfully Brooks *didn't* have his best day. I say thankfully, because managing a tired, hungry toddler who didn't really feel like dancing and singing at the end of our playday, made several goodbyes less dramatic - just strap him in and run! And we definitely have lots of fun pictures of him enjoying Anke's songs and motions earlier in the summer, so no loss there!
Friday morning we got our final "preview" ultrasound of Baby Boy #2. Even though he was quite shy, we were able to confirm that yes, it's another boy! The tech saw healthy growth and development and guessed that at the current rates, our little man wouldn't be that little by his due date - 8 or 9 pounds most likely - not shocking given my size at this point and the strength of this baby's movements! Brooks really enjoyed seeing Baby Brudder on the screen - when #2 yawned, Brooks thought it was hysterical. He was also quite happy to tell the tech all about his own role as Big Brother and pointed to where #2 was kicking
his own belly! What a hoot!
Friday night we had a lovely goodbye party with a few friends from our pastorate, and we shared it with another HTB friend, Hannah, who is getting married next month and moving to Singapore. We got to have unhurried conversations with several people who have really become like family to us and let Brooks run around and be loved on by the whole group until wayyy past his bedtime! At the end, they spent about an hour toasting us with stories and memories and compliments, and then laid hands on us and prayed for us. There was many beautiful, humbling words shared of the impact we had on others - both direct (serving in Pastorate, etc) and non-direct (observing us parent, watching us be married and *work* on our relationship, etc) but I must say the most striking thing to me was how very much we are leaving behind here. It wouldn't always have felt that way. Several of the people in the room we didn't even know when we went home for Christmas 2008 - we've been so incredibly blessed that friendships have continued to form here, right up until the very end. Some of these new relational roots are small, but they are roots just the same, and we are certainly disrupting a lot of earth to rip them out when they are so fresh. Along with a handful of very close friends, we have so many who feel like they *could have been* closer friends, if we'd only had a bit more time. I have so many ... I can't say regrets, it's just not the right word, but... maybe unfinished relationships to bid farewell to. It's probably good to feel sad about leaving (how many times over the last year have been ready to fly back home THAT DAY!), but oh, the goodbyes are hard.
Eric pointed out recently that these London goodbyes are even harder than saying farewell in Chicago, because when we left in August 2007, we told everyone "see you at Christmas" and "its only 100 weekends, we'll be back!" As we leave London, we do so without any immediate plans to return, and it feels very, very different knowing how much could change in our little London community before we're back here among them again. I've never been more thankful for email and Facebook and all our digital connections.
Saturday morning was spent at Portobello Road, the antiques market in our neighborhood, and we purchased a bit of a "Goodbye London" gift for ourselves - a lovely antique (18th century) map of Europe, from one of my favorite shop keepers. I rounded out my trio china collection (a trio is a cup, saucer and tea plate, so very English!) and our friends Yang Ping and Shireen bought Brooks his very own kid-sized rugby ball. Too fun. We returned home to Eric's homemade crepes, and then during Brooks's nap time, our friend Becky came over to lend a hand as we started physically sorting through wardrobes and piles, in preparation for the movers coming this week. It felt good to work on it together with Eric and Becky, as rather than just tacking two or three drawers slowly on my own, we got through almost the entire back of the house in one afternoon - wahoo!! That evening, Yang Ping and Shireen cooked us a feast of Malaysian dishes - chicken and fish and veggies, yum yum! with Yang Ping's own creation for a fruity dessert. Becky returned to our home to spend the night and go to church with us... and we chatted for a few minutes before collapsing into bed.
All in all, I would say that Eric and I are doing quite well as we tackle an amazing and exhausting list of tasks that need attention during this transition. Eric's taken the yeoman's share by far, and when he's still for any length of time, he falls asleep in about 2.3 seconds. But we're both supporting each other, and communicating well, and being as patient and gracious as we can when the stress gets more intense. Unfortunately, I am sick again with another sinus infection/painful ear ache - the resulting energy drain is horribly timed. But the good news is that it forces me not to push myself too hard to get everything done - probably a wonderful blessing at 32 weeks pregnant. We have Eric's massive to-do list that keeps us organized (we do love excel!) and we have the urgency of knowing that the movers arrive Thursday to keep us motivated!
If you're inclined to pray for us, please pray for my health and our renewed energy, our continued grace and kindness to one another in the midst of our activity and stress, Brooks's ability to go with the flow and process as best he can all the changes and chaos he's living through, and most critically, for good goodbyes here. We want to finish strong and well and lovingly. It feels important and I don't want that goal to be trumped by the urgent.
Our 100 weekends (actually 98, but who's counting?!) is down to 100 hours before the movers take away all our things, and then the end will really be upon us. I am so glad as I look back on all this time for all of the many blessing we can count, as well as the knowledge that I have even that much more to look forward to back home.
One photo to end with. This is Brooks and his girlfriend Abby, solidifying their friendship in the Garden across from our flat last week. What cuties! They clearly like each other - don't you think?
Lots of love from London!
