Last night we hosted a little goodbye grill on our terrace here in Cluj. Our friend Olena and her daughter Yasya are moving to the US. They, like us, found themselves in Romania at the onset of the war. They, like us, never thought that after two years, they would still be here. It was interesting to process the emotions of more goodbyes, that old familiar pattern of ongoing transition.
Deb and I were talking after everyone left. There have been distinguishable waves of people coming through Cluj from Ukraine during this ongoing destabilization and occupation effort in Ukraine. First, the emergency evacuations from fleeing young people, many families, moms with their one or two kids, a few of the elderly sprinkled in. Then, a few months later, waves of the elderly, those with health issues, the vulnerable, and more moms with kids. The third wave of transition noticeable after about a year, were folks returning to Ukraine at the same pace as those exiting. Visiting family, and loved ones, or just tired of waiting in a foreign country for the war to end, choosing instead a life of continued threat of physical harm over the anguish of continued emotional anxiety.
Over two years now, there’s another transitional period it seems. Individuals and families moving once again from their original landing space to more intentional, purposeful locations. For many, like being repotted as a plant, the initial relocation was essential and pragmatic, they found a place to root for a while and wait for the war to end, they started building networks, and found work, and rhythms, but life just wasn’t feeling permanent enough to commit. This week we’re hosting Ukrainian friends from our hometown who landed in Italy, and another friend who was in Bali of all places! They began exploring new places to reconnect and build a life together in the same place outside of Ukraine, reforging lost friendships that were placed on pause. For others, engagements, marriages, and lifelong commitments of that nature are emerging and forcing new geographical pathways.
I liken what is happening to those under refugee status around the world to the snow globe. The war shook us all from a settled, peaceful, and rather static reality. At least it felt static, predictable, and cozy. The flurry of change as Russia entered Ukraine sent us snowflakes into disarray and chaos. Slowly, over months, and now years, there is less movement within the globe, but there are still some gently finding their way, settling mercifully into new spaces and places.
Anyway, saying goodbye to Olena, and being surrounded simultaneously by new incoming Ukrainian friends was an interesting moment for me. Life is a series of transitions, isn’t it? I look back and recognize seasons that seemed quite stable, and unchanging, but change is a permanent characteristic of this life. We are growing, changing, and dying, continually on a physical level. We are emotionally and spiritually in a formational process throughout our entire life. As my heart longs for the settledness of the snowglobe resting on the mantle, I wonder if that desire represents more of an ideal than a reality.
Thank God for the seasons of rest, of peace, and settledness. These past two years have been the most difficult, distressing and formative moments of our life. I haven’t written in my blog as much, because there’s been too much to unpack inwardly through this season, not too little to write about! I’m also wrestling with the nature of writing, its usefulness, and its purpose in my life. For now, we are grateful for this settled moment, taking deep breaths, and excited to see another Lighthouse space emerge in the center of the beautiful city of Cluj. A place we call home, for now, and hopefully longer. Yet, we continue to trust God, who holds our life and guides us into good places and spaces through each transition.