In this gypsy lifestyle we lead, the question is often wondered, "Who will be my neighbor?" We have been blessed beyond measure with good people living in close proximity to us since moving with the military. What a difference, I've discovered, it makes when you have someone whom you trust to watch your house while away or from who to simply borrow a few eggs!
Back in Georgia, our next door neighbors became more like family through the years. These were the people who had me over for dinner almost every night while I was pregnant and my husband was gone for a month long field training. (Which is an amazing way to support a service member and their family, I must add). Here in Arizona, we now live on post, surrounded by other military families. When we first moved here, we thought it was only going to be for six months. To most in 'civilian world', this would seem almost silly, I think, to spend time forming a bond and friendship with someone whom you knew would be long gone in a matter of months. (In fact, when I first moved here, I had someone tell me just that. "Wow, I bet it's hard to make friends in such a short amount of time!" I wasn't offended....it's the truth.) However, I've once again been given great people to surround me, who were willing to take advantage of the time we had, and am now sad to be leaving.
It's a funny thing, this bonding and leaving. In a way, I feel like I take from each person and place a little something. Whether it's a new recipe, insight into better 'mommy' skills, memories of laughing and chatting or simply new scenery, I know I am a better individual afterward.
I'm not saying it's not a hard road to walk. In a way, I wish I had more time here to cultivate the friendships started; I wish my son had more time to enjoy the routine we've established while here. As a family, we found a church where we feel Biblically fed each week. We feel settled in our home and have gotten to know the new area. For all these reasons, and more, it makes me heavyhearted to leave. I do hope maybe one day we can come back to Arizona to spend more time. But, for now, the movers will come in a few weeks and we will be off!
This military life, I'm realizing, is unlike any other. For our neighbors and friends who are also military, we know there is a good chance we will be seeing them again. Friends who lived only one street over in our Georgia neighborhood are now stationed in Okinawa, Japan and will be geographically the closest people we know to us when we move to Korea! Our next door neighbors in Georgia will be meeting up with us in San Diego for a short weekend visit when we make our journey up the west coast. The people here in Arizona might be relocated to another duty station with us. If all else fails, there's always Facebook! So, when a military family like us moves, one must not perceive it as a final goodbye. If you read the rest of Luke 10:29-37, you'll see that living in the same area does not make you a neighbor. That's sure a good thing, since I feel like I have many neighbors spread out across the country (and even the world)!
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2010:29-37&version=NIV
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