Eras

I lined up the last nail along the outline and hammered it in. Tearing the paper off from around the nails, the state emerged. Long and narrow, but with more bumps and curves than the last one of these I made, I noted. That was a while ago, though, and I had to remember how the pattern of stringing the white thread between the nails went. I got the hang of it pretty quickly, and California really stood out now on the freshly stained board when I was finished. 

It was done! Making our next state plaque had been on my to-do list for a while. But I had to start from scratch with this one and kept putting it off. Finally, 9 months after our move, California joined the group with the others. 

Deciding where to hang the states had already been done, so the last thing to figure out was how to arrange them. An odd number, and a mix of vertical and horizontal boards, I had to think a minute. I'm sure a more insightful designer may have found a more creative arrangement, but I settled on what I thought looked best and made the most sense.  

As I hung each board, I had a different feeling with each one. 

Iowa, where Josh and I both were born and raise, and where we met and married. 

Minnesota, our first home together and where we lived the longest--over 10 years. It's where the first of these plaques were made at a friend's craft party! 

So many memories and experiences in the space of that little heart on the bottom right side of Minnesota. 

I came to the state as a new wife, became a mother of two, endured a heartbreaking tragedy, and navigated through grief. All with the friendship and support of an amazing community. When we left almost six years ago, I couldn't imagine a life away from our world in Austin, Minnesota.

Our Illinois home, established in the fall of 2018, was just the start of our adventures as a family of three. I didn't know what awaited us as I strung the next state and added it to the other two on the wall of our new dining room. 

We transitioned to life in the suburbs of Chicago, and also life away from Austin. We learned a lot about ourselves and each other. I quickly was drawn to two great friends, which helped the adjustment. It was only 14 months in that we heard about the job in Colorado. Before we left, COVID hit, and in the middle of shelter-in-place warnings and toilet paper shortages, our home was packed up again and we headed west.

Colorado. It wasn't long before we all were in love with Colorado. The weather, the scenery, and the people. Molly helped me with this plaque, a COVID activity as we settled in.

Family on my side lived in the area, which was so nice. I became more outdoorsy than I ever imagined I'd be, hiking in the mountains that were only 45 minutes from our house. Molly really grew up a lot in the 3 1/2 years we spent in Colorado. I wrote my book in the basement of our split-level home. Josh got a break from plant life and enjoyed a more flexible schedule--including some days working from home. We again made life-long friends. The longer we spent in Colorado, the harder we knew it would be to leave... 

But the time came, and ready or not, the Beckers were on our next adventure! We traveled west again and unpacked our stuff for the third time in five years here in California. By then, we knew the drill. Yet, it had been long enough that it took a little to remember how it all worked--like making this state plaque. 

Since I had to start from scratch this time, as I mentioned, I decided to make a few extras, so I have them in the future. Three more boards are cut, sanded, stained, stacked in the closet. Ready to join the group when their time comes.

What states will be hammered onto the front of them? When will each be established, how long will we have in between?

It's kind of fun to have these physical representations of the different chapters of my life. Eras, if you will. As I hung each up, I felt each one's vibe. The heartland. Our first home. The big city. A rocky mountain retreat. And now, the central valley. 

I smile thinking of the joy in each place. The memories that we treasure because we said yes and made the moves. I also remember, though, the tough times. The big fights, the sad goodbyes. As I've wrote about so many times, the good and the bad fit together, and make each experience whole. Even if we wish it was all good.

As each state went up in session last month, I had a striking visual of how each chapter built on itself in our story. How Iowa will always be where we're from, even if I call Minnesota home just as often. How we wouldn't have made it to Colorado, if it wasn't for Chicago. 

California, we're already almost a year in. This era has been a lot of fun. For a Midwest family to see palm trees every day, look down rows and rows of orchards instead of corn, and have multiple national parks and the ocean within 3 hours of our house--it's more than we could have dreamed of! 

Now I know that few people can relate specifically to this story. Establishing new homes isn't something everyone choses to do, for one reason or another. Moving around the country is hard, and not for the faint of heart! 

But if you think about it, I'm sure you can relate to the theme of this story. You can recall seasons of life and the abrupt, or subtle, shifts into the next one. The life event, the addition of a new family member, the change in job, or the loss of someone close to you. There are good and bad parts of each season, some things you wish never happened and others you wish never ended. But like my state secession, each chapter built upon the last to write the story of your life. 

I took the time to think about this, as I finally finished up this project. I've had many seasons of life that made me who I am today. Awesome times and ugly times. Triumphs and failures. But I wouldn't change any, even if I could. I need them all to draw from and to be inspired by. And some day, they'll all come together. We'll get the answers we yearn for, and the reunions we dream of. 

We'll see in perfect detail how every era worked together to bring us exactly where we were supposed to be. My last state plaque here will be the end of one big era, but the beginning of eternity. 

It was perfect timing for reflection as the summer came to an end, and a new school year started. Molly's back in her Middle School Era, after re-visiting elementary school last year. She's figuring herself out as a new young woman, and it's exciting and profound to watch. It's scary too, I'm almost a mom of a teenager! A new era for sure. 

I know there'll be good and bad parts as we live in this current season. Things I can't wait to change and things I wish stayed the same forever. I'm trying my best to be present for all of it. Bringing with me all my memories and experiences from each of those states on my wall that I walk past each day...