I am an animal lover, have been my entire life. I’m not talking about just cats and dogs, I’m talking Noah’s Ark. I grew up wanting to be a Zoologist, and until I was 17 and realized I would have to euthanize some, it was my plan; fast forward a lifetime later, I still would happily run an animal sanctuary, if I had the money, which I do not.

So we moved from Philadelphia to London, Kentucky a little over a year ago. I cannot say I went kicking and screaming, or anything quite so dramatic, but I can say I went with a huge chip on my shoulder. I knew it was where we were meant to be, but I wasn’t happy about it. I hate the country, I love the city. I am allergic to all of the trees, grass, etc. that comes with the country. I moved to an area where I’m not politically aligned with approximately 99% of the people I meet, and I just flat do not have much in common with anyone, at least on the surface. That being said, everyone I have met have been extremely sweet and very welcoming. I want to be clear, my issue with Kentucky has never been the people, per se.

Typically, when something happens in my life that isn’t pleasant, I ask God to give me 24 to 48 hours to be human, and then I give it over to Him. This time, it took way longer than that. This time, it took me fifteen months to be human, but then last week it finally clicked and I was able to turn it over to Him. I know we are here for a reason, I do not know what that reason is, and I may never fully understand why He took my prayer of living in a Tutor home in London to be closer to Paris, and made it a reality, albeit in Kentucky (yep, God has a sense of humor…great), but He did.

Today, however, it went further than just acceptance. Today, as I looked out our office window and I saw a groundhog, I fell in love. I’ve been given a home, with land that houses a variety of bunnies, and squirrels. We have deer that stand in our front yard and look in our living room window. Our neighbors have cows and horses, and a large Great Pyrenees, named Bruno, wonders all over, making sure all is well. In the mornings, I can watch a number of birds going after worms, and once in a while I catch a glimpse of the giant badger that seems to be hanging out in the wooded area to the side of our house. I am surrounded by many of the animals I love! No, I do not get to snuggle them, well Bruno is actually letting me pet him now, but that is the way it should be. These creatures are living their lives, and they have no threat from us. We just watch them and admire them. I can sit on any of my porches (we currently have 3), drink my drink and admire the view. How fantastic is that?

My life is nothing like I imagined it to be, not even close. It is better.