CHANGE OF ADDRESS

"WE MUST BE OVER THE RAINBOW!" Remember when Dorothy said that to Toto, right after she said, "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

At least we're back in the land of the 74___ zip codes.

It's been weeks since I've tried to actually type a sentence or paragraph much less an entire essay. We've been in a sort of self-induced whirlwind. We had often talked about where we might settle for our "golden" years. Tulsa, Oklahoma, is our home. Maybe that's where we should land. But, can you go home again? We left there in the early 70s as newlyweds for parts west, returning to Tulsa often for visits, still feeling like it was home.

The question was not only where, but when.

Then the real estate market blew up and we decided to see if we could step in and get our share of the madness. We reached out to a young man that we've known for years to seek his advice as a real estate pro. He studied our situation and said we should list the house for this amount. "That's crazy" I said, "No one will pay that!" He confidently countered that this would only be the beginning, that in all likelihood, we would get multiple offers for more. The next day his prediction came true. And the next day we were smack in the middle of a Dorothy-esque tornado.

Tulsa called. Reason whispered. Then from the advice of our mentor, we decided to move to Shawnee, Oklahoma. The pieces began to fall into place and peace was restored. We're now in our new home.The only downside, and it was a huge one--the move took us a bit further from our other kids and four grands. It's not like they're in another state. We'll make up for the distance somehow.

I was telling a young friend about our move. "Why Shawnee?" He asked. I explained that our oldest son and his family live there and we've moved there to become a burden to our kids. He told me his parents had just moved near them from Idaho. One day his dad was offering more help than he needed. His dad explained, "Jerrod, remember we've moved here to be a blessing to you."

Blessing or burden? I keep watching episodes of "Everybody Loves Raymond" hoping to learn how not to be THOSE parents.

I'm also hoping to be a good citizen of our new community. This is actually my second shot as a Shawneeite, or is it Shawneeian, or Shawnoid. My first experience here was as a freshman at the university where our son now teaches. It didn't end well. I was encouraged by the administration to find a new school for my sophomore year. I'm somewhat more mature now. Hopefully, I'll get to stay this time.

Over the years I've lived in Tulsa, Jenks, El Reno, Hinton, Oklahoma City and now Shawnee for the second time. Looking back, Dorothy was right: "There's no place like home."

This would have been much easier to write about and celebrate a few weeks ago, before we saw the faces of refugees forced to leave their homes, not knowing where home might be even the next day. How to respond?

Maybe if I'm just really, really, really grateful for a home, the guilt will be lighter. Maybe if I stand atop the shaky soapbox of moral superiority. Maybe if I reflect on a work-ethic, self-discipline, responsibility and a relative frugality. Maybe if I read a Joel Osteen book. Maybe if I give money to the Red Cross or hand a few bucks to the guy on the corner. Maybe if I polish my own bootstraps which I mistakenly might assume I pulled myself up with. Maybe if I pray for the refugees, the homeless, and the least of these.

Questions born out of confusion and desperation are as old as mankind. Here's the answer I always come back to:

"He's already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women.
It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don't take yourself too seriously—take God seriously."
--Micah 6:8.

Hopefully it is also okay to wish for the demise of evil, dehumanizing tyrants.