family moves with low stress

5 Things That Helped Move Our Family

Summer time can be a good time of year to move your family.  However, if you are moving yourself and you live in Texas, it can be grueling.  We just moved ourselves last month to four different destinations.  Our son moved in with my mother, and we moved our family stuff into an RV, a rental property and a house.  The rental property and our house are being renovated so some of our stuff had to be packed for storage.  As you can imagine, it has been quite an ordeal.

The hardest part was the purging, packing and figuring out what goes where.  We started in May with the hopes that we would have enough time to get moved at the end of June.  However, life got in the way and we barely made our deadline.  Remembering and practicing “Rule #1 Take Care of Yourself” we got some outside help with packing and moving the heavy furniture.

I was determined to make this process as painless as possible for everyone.  Keeping in mind that there is no such thing as a painless move and that this would be an opportunity for me to practice my relationship skills.  I also know that where there is pain, there is growth.  Here are some of the things that were helpful:

  1. Taking care of myself physically, mentally and spiritually.
  2. Preparing, planning and organizing for the move.
  3. Communication daily, hourly and sometimes even moment to moment.
  4. Being patient with myself and others by providing empathy, grace and forgiveness.
  5. Prayer and/or intention to love each other through this process.

The stress of moving can be overwhelming under any circumstance due to the work involved and loss of what is familiar.  Even when the move is for a good reason or we are excited about the new location, it can still be a challenge.  As with any challenge, it is important to be clear about what we expect and understand that our perspective may not be the same as the other people involved.

It was still hard and things did not always go as planned.  We were hot, fatigued and frustrated. My immature self wanted to have a fit and give up.  There were a few times that we got short with each other which gave us an opportunity to apologize.  For the most part, everyone was a team player and no one got mad or quit.

The move is not over and I don’t like not being settled in a home with a yard for the dogs and my office set up.  I am not sure when that will be or what it will look like. However, I am grateful that we have each other and that we are healthy!

If there is a family or personal issue that you are struggling with, it would be an honor to serve you in finding resolution and peace.