What on earth?!!
Today’s post is a personal one. I thought you might want to know the backstory/explanation. Some have already asked us and I am glad to answer what others may be wondering. I can imagine the buzz…….. and I don’t blame anyone for wondering or questioning.
Why on earth would we move after 30 years?
Why change at this stage of life?
Why leave family and friends who are so dear to us?
Weariness
Kyle and I dated in college at Florida State and married shortly after graduation. We stayed in Tallahassee because of family in town and we enjoyed what the city had to offer. After a few years at one job, my husband had the opportunity to become a business owner. He built, bought and managed rental property.
After 20 years of this, he began to feel weary with the personal toll/costs of this profession. By now we were empty nesters (which is glorious by the way), so this allowed more freedom to consider other options. While he had toyed with the idea of getting out of his career, he always felt it would be impossible to do so because of the complexities of selling all the properties he had.
Early in the summer, we finally decided to see what God would do. My husband listed all the buildings on the market, mind you without a real estate agent. We thought it would take years probably to sell all the buildings because any one property can take months and months to sell.
Well God began selling them lickety-split! Suprised was an understatement of how we felt.
Then the next question became what my husband wanted to do for work instead. If you know Tallahassee, you know it can be a difficult town to find a job other than a state job. So the shocking question was addressed about moving to another city to find a different career. We concluded that it could be worthwhile to move for better work opportunities.
Boredom
Having lived in the same area for 30 years, we had pretty much seen it all. Although we enjoyed what the panhandle of Florida had to offer, we were getting sort of bored with things to do and places to see. We found ourselves unexcited about our weekends as empty-nesters. Boredom was not what we wanted for the next 15 years or so until we moved somewhere else for retirement. (We had always thought of moving to a cooler climate for retirement.)
Complacency
We found that boredom soon led to complacency in our lives. We weren’t excited about much at all anymore. We felt dull or restless in our town, our social life, even in our faith. One week was evolving into the next with little fruit to show for it. We had time on our hands because of the new season of fewer responsibilities with parenting but what were we doing with it?
We were not growing anymore as individuals or as a couple. We loved our community of people around us but there was something else that was needed. We finally figured out what- challenge, adventure, newness, vibrancy……..new life!
Why Jacksonville?
As we combined the list of what we were missing in life, we agreed that there were more reasons to make a change than just a career, but a lifestyle as well.
We had visited Jacksonville for the last 5-6 years because of kids in school at the University of North Florida. What we had enjoyed about visiting seemed to line up with what we were looking for at this stage in our life.
- Healthy, growing economy
- New sites to see
- New activities to enjoy
- Water- river, intercoastal and beach
- A church we already knew we would enjoy
- Two of our kids living in the area
As we considered where to move, Jacksonville became a natural option. So we decided to begin taking the option seriously of making a major life change.
How God Moved
As God began selling off our business properties in the early summer, by mid-July we thought we probably ought to list the house because things seemed to be moving faster than expected. Within 2 weeks, we had a signed contract and 30 days to move out.
Now things were getting serious!
I left Tallahassee for the first of 2 trips to Jacksonville to look for a rental home. On the second trip, I found something more than just suitable, but fun and adventuresome!
We rented an apartment in a high-rise on the St. John River. From the suburbs of Tallahassee to the downtown living in a high-rise, we were headed for the city life!
Skyline of Jacksonville along the St. John River after Hurrican Irma
Walks together along the river.
Exploring new areas across the Main Street Bridge.
Enjoying the vibrant church life of Eleven22.
What We Decided
After evaluating our current life in Tallahassee, we determined that the risk of the “unknown” was better than the “known” for us individually and as a couple. Although we loved our family and community of friends dearly, we were wasting away in a sense, with only a jolt of courage and faith to bring about the plausible remedy.
Because we were both in agreement and God seemed to be leading and providing as we prayed, we decided to be bold and “chase our lion” (for those who have not read the book yet by Mark Batterson, it is excellent). Life is too short to settle for weariness, boredom, and complacency. At 52 and 50, we had a whole lot of living left to do (God willing) and we didn’t want to settle for less than what God offered if we were courageous enough to follow.
My Hindsight
I am so glad we opened our minds to what only God can do. Ony He could sell all those properties so quickly, or at all, for Kyle. Only God could sell our home and unite our hearts in agreement on leaving and where to seek our new adventure.
We are having so much fun exploring this area and enjoying the new opportunities as empty-nesters. No longer are we weary, bored or complacent. We love the adventure and challenge of it all and look forward to growing in our new church community. It is life-giving to be challenged in a good way as we start over. New people to meet, new activities to enjoy, new places to see.
We don’t know how long we will live in Jacksonville or where we will eventually end up, but we know one thing……the risk is worth the chance!
The risk is worth the chance! Share on XYes, life is too short to think God cannot do the impossible!
Chase your lion my friends……..see for yourself!
Deb Wolf says
Yay! Gretchen, enjoy your new home. I love your reasons. Rev and I just moved from St Louis to Kansas City after 45 years in StL. We moved closer to our daughter but we also moved into a thriving group of young families who are growing in their faith as they live life together. It’s been energizing and we love it! Thanks for sharing your story. It’s always nice to know we’re not alone!! <3
Gretchen Fleming says
Amen Deb! So glad you all were courageous and finding fruit in your new community! So good to feel useful to the kingdom as we serve others. I bet they are thrilled to have you there among them?
Lisa Appelo says
So glad you’re here!! We came b/c we knew God was planting us here but, unlike you all, I was terribly sad to uproot. But God is so faithful. SO. I knew it then, but boy have we seen it in the last 12 years. Praising God of the impossible with you!
Gretchen Fleming says
Amen and thank you Lisa! ?
Melanie Redd says
Thank you for being a testimony of courage and of commitment to each other and to the Lord! I’m praying God will greatly bless you and multiply your ministry in your new home. I’m also praying that this will be a sweet season for your marriage, for your children, and for you personally! Excited for you all!
Gretchen Fleming says
Thanks so much Melanie ☺️
Carol Bedingfield says
We’re in the same situation and phase. Weariness is the perfect term – it this all there is for the next 30 years? We are also praying and seeking. It seems like God is loosening our trip on the things that made us comfortable. We’ll pray for your new adventure and please pray for God’s divine intervention and guidance for us!
Gretchen Fleming says
I most certainly will Carol. So glad you know you are not alone. Your feelings are experienced by others and are validated. God did great things for us but we had to take a step of faith before we saw what would happen. Listing those first properties and being willing to let go before we knew what would happen or come next was faith building? Praying for you!
Rebecca L Jones says
Lovely view, if that is what you see. I have been to Florida, but never lived there. I lived in Atlanta, miss the skyline sometimes. Hope you have a wonderful new start.
Gretchen Fleming says
Thanks so much friend!
Lureta says
Sometimes a move like yours makes no sense to on-lookers, sometimes not full with ourself either. But when God is in control, we just go with it. I was reading your post and thinking to myself..”What if God has something beautiful in store for them that He hasn’t yet made clear?”
I admire such a gutsy move after so long. May God keep you protected and covered by His blood.
It was great of you to share with your blogging sister’s. An inspiring and encouraging post.
Gretchen Fleming says
Thank you Lureta! Your comment was so encouraging to me. Amen to keeping us protected and covered by His blood. I am aware that sometimes as we enter what may be a “promised land” our guard goes down and the enemy takes back territory we never expected. Praying to be as innocent as doves but shrewd as snakes. We don’t want to leave any territory unconquered ??
Barbara H. says
Thanks for commenting on my blog recently!
So far God hasn’t kept us in any one place for 30 years, but each time we’ve moved, we’ve sensed what one friend called God rustling the nest for a year or so beforehand – just a restlessness, a sense that things were about to change. We’ve always moved due to my husband’s work, and sometimes with more enthusiasm, sometimes less. But one thing that sustained me during our last move (which involved moving away from two of our grown children) was a phrase from Be Still My Soul: “In every change, He faithful will remain.”
Sounds like an exciting transition for you both, and I wish you well!
Gretchen Fleming says
Thank you! Loved that refrain from the song that gives you perspective ❤️
Neca | The GreatBIG Life says
Wow Gretchen! This is fantastic… I’m reading Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby (again…besides the Bible, it’s my favorite book… I read it once a year) and one of the basic premises is us living a life based on what only God can do! It’s so amazing to see others live this out loud. I’m preparing for my next What Only God Can Do Moment as we speak! Thanks so much for sharing this! (P.S. I’m went to college in Tallahassee too…Florida A&M!)
Gretchen Fleming says
Thanks so much for the encouragement Neca! “Experiencing God” by Henry Blackaby changed my life like no other book other than the Bible. Glad to know someone else enjoyed it as well. Thanks for visiting with me and blessings my friend!
Kristin Buehler says
So glad to read your story and find out I am not the only one! After nearly 20 years in Dallas, my husband and I decided to make a lifestyle change and move to Asheville. None of it could have happened without God and tons of prayers. But my answer of why? Because I felt called…seemed not to be enough for a lot of people. Good luck to you as you continue to explore your new home.
Gretchen Fleming says
Thanks so much! So great to read of someone else who knows the feeling of being called out of one place to another. We are loving our adventure together, seeing God create a new norm that excites us. Blessings on your new home and life together!Thanks for stopping by
SUSAN SHIPE says
Gretchen, this post inspires me. My husband and I have listed our home for sale by owner – we have lived here for 30 years. I am 67, he is 71 and we are so looking forward to our next adventure. We want to be closer to our daughter (90 minutes away) – our sons are in South FL but alas, I cannot abide the heat and that is where we moved from 30 years ago for this adventure! We live isolated now on 14+ acres in the beautiful mountains of NW NC, in a renovated 70-year old farmhouse. When we sell we will rent for a while in order to figure out what we want to do when we grow up! HA! Thank you for sharing this journey, it is impressive. Please pray with us in agreement that our house sells SOON? Thank you. xo
Sandy Houck says
I personally understand this time in our lives where we have retired and have had an empty nest for sevral years. There are days and what now seems like months and years that we are bored and unsure of what our next step should be. We have lived in our house for at least 40 years and go to a wonderful church; but, I want more…more to do, things to keep me occupied and I am praying my husband will soon be on board with the same desire. I would like to move close to our daughter who is only in another county; but, It would be in an area of ‘things, movin’ and grovin’, if I can say that at my age (71)…It would also be close to our son and our grandchildren….God is on our side and I know in time HE will give us ‘the desires of our heart’…..God bless you and your husband as ‘the new life’ begins. Shalom