Embrace Your Place

A random dusk sky in North Carolina

After a chilly morning run in North Carolina

I wish I could take a snapshot of the look on people’s faces when I tell them I’m moving to a small town in Mississippi.  Don’t get me wrong, Mississippi is not on the top of my places to live.  It’s not even in my top 10 places to live.  But it’s where you’ll find me smiling in the future.
 
I’ve moved around quite a bit in my adult life.  I’ve lived in big cities, small cities and cities that were more like a town than a city.  Small towns aren’t as exciting on paper but there’s a quaintness and realness about them.  And thanks to the world wide web, nowadays you can just order what you need from a big town.  (Blue Apron is a game changer...check it out.)  I’ve learned, you just have to embrace your place.  Regardless of where you live, you make your journey.  If you aren’t happy on your journey, maybe you haven’t learned to embrace it. 
 
Romans 12:2
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
 
This week I’m back in Florida for work and I’m trying to soak up all the little things I miss about living here.  The food, the ocean, the festivals, the sunshine and the people.  There is so much I love about it.  Over the last several months, I could have spent time dwelling on all the things I miss about Florida.  Instead, I’ve intentionally sought out things to fall in love with in my new small town.  The beautiful sand dunes, the forest trails, the sound of the trains, the azalea blooms, and the best cupcake shop I’ve ever been to (seriously…Happycakes Cupcakery.  Hands down the best cupcake I’ve ever had and I’ve had A LOT of cupcakes in my life.  http://www.thehappycakescupcakery.com).   And I’ve met some amazing friends who have welcomed me with open arms.  I embraced my move to North Carolina and I will embrace Mississippi in the same way.  Now, you might be thinking, it's easy to fall in love with a place when you always live near a beach.  However, I can describe  amazing things and places I've found from Connecticut to California and the all places I've lived or visited in between.  I’ve learned to live in the moment and I’ve realized God places us in specific places with specific people for a specific purpose.  And it's in this small realization I can allow peace to overcome my soul as we prepare to move again.  As you move through life, all you have to do is embrace your place and watch His perfect plan unfold.
 
 If you find yourself questioning where you are in life…stop questioning it and embrace it.  Live for the moment.  Stop and smell the roses, listen to the ocean or watch a bird soar in the sky.  You can find God's beauty and be overcome with peace wherever you are.  If you aren’t meant to be there, God will find a way to move you.  And when He moves you, roll with it. 
 
There’s a reason you are where you are.

Unexpected plans, small towns and a journey,

Ashley Lucille

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Waterfront run in Florida