The Reluctant Memphan...

Before Keith and I married I told him, in no uncertain terms, that I was not moving to Memphis.  Well, you can all see how well that worked out.  So, instead, I dreaded the day...put off packing...put off moving until after the honeymoon.  I was the Queen of Procrastination or the Darling of Delusion, whichever you rather, when it came to moving.  In the end, the same result came, no matter my feelings or procrastination...I packed my things to begin my life as a married lady in Memphis.

Don't confuse my reasoning, I am completely in love with my husband.  I would go to the ends of the earth with him....although it doesn't mean I'd be happy about it.  But I love my family. I love my friends. I love my church family. I love my CrossFit community.  I loved my life in KY.  To be away from those things, in a place where there was no family, no friends, no church family, no CrossFit community (at least not one I could afford)...with only my husband, meant starting over.  And starting over is scary.

Yet, a lingering thought kept pressing into my mind.  Almost every summer, since my sophomore year of college, I have been involved in mission work in Europe and the UK. Every summer I say to God, "Here am I, send ME!!" And yet, when God is clearly pointing my compass towards Memphis I am digging in my heels.  Why?  To put it into blunt and simple terms...I am spoiled.  I am ready to go wherever God wants me to go...so long as it is somewhere I want to go.  What a spoiled child I have been.  How disappointed is my Heavenly Father in the young woman I have become? Well, that ends now.  If God wants me in Memphis, then there is a reason...a greater good that I know he will reveal to me in His own time.  Does it mean that I wouldn't move back to Mayfield in a heartbeat? No, absolutely not.  But it means that I will utilize my time on this planet doing whatever God allows me to do! I will make friends, I will start over.  I will find the loveliest things about this city and embrace them wholeheartedly.
Starting today.

So, my first fab find of my wonderful new home is the sweetest used bookshop called "The Book Depot".

 When you open the creaky front door a bell rings to let the harried gentleman running the shop know that he has a visitor.  He emerges from a corner of this amazing book maze that he could undoubtedly travel with his eyes closed and asks me if he can help.  I tell him I am just browsing, but in reality, I am overwhelmed by the beauty of this small treasure.  Books have always been magical for me.  My mother read to me from the time I was born and thus instilled in me a love for the written word that has stuck with me over time.  I love the smell of books, they way they look stacked in all sorts of ways, the worlds they allow you to escape into, and the characters that become a part of you...if only for a little while.

The store takes up maybe 800 square feet, but I spent over an hour inside...walking slowly through the maze of genres...laughing at some of the titles on the Romance Novels, searching for some of my favorite authors, and finally settling on a book by an author I discovered years ago in the Belfast, Northern Ireland airport.  Her name is Jill Mansell and she writes British chic lit. The first book of hers that I read, Rumour Has It, became one of my favorites and one I have reread several times.  So, this time I picked up A Walk in the Park.  I would like to tell you that I picked up some great American classic...but alas...I am a sucker for the British satire.  As I was getting ready to check out, the sweet owner told me that they also buy books for store credit.  I'm sorry, what?  So, now, my shelf that is overflowing with beloved books has new meaning.  I paid $4.25 for the book, but in return, I found a piece of myself...a hidden treasure in my new city...my new home. And whether I am here for a season, a reason, or a lifetime...it is up to me to utilize my time and pray fervently for my Father God to show me how I can be used to glorify Him while I am here, discovering the hidden treasures that can turn this place into my home.