The Farmville Experience

There may be some of you that read that title and thought to yourself, “Oh I need to go check on my farm.”  This post isn’t about a game.  It’s about a town called Farmville, how it came to be that a city-girl from Columbus, Ohio ended up living in a town nicknamed Farm-Vegas, and a valuable lesson I learned in the process.

In 1999 John and I were dating when he successfully completed his graduate degree.  What followed the inception of that coveted degree was an intensive job hunt.  It appeared no area of the country was off limits.  John was submitting resumes to neighboring universities but also to places as far away as Colorado.  This search made me uneasy.  I was in my junior year at OSU.  I knew this relationship was unmatched, but I also knew I may not be prepared to move away. 

He went on many interviews.  There were trips to the airport to see him off, wish him luck, and then welcome him home again.  Then, in early August, he interviewed at a small college called Longwood.  Guess what?  It‘s in Farmville, Virginia.  This was his job offer.  This was exciting.  This was not in Columbus, Ohio.

Sitting on the front steps of my parents’ home one evening in the late spring John and I had a conversation about moving and his acceptance of this job.  He wanted me to finish the 3 quarters of school I had left and join him in Virginia.  I recall telling him that I was uncertain only because we would be in a new place with no one but each other.  He then told me he looked at that as an opportunity to learn how to depend on each other in ways that we may not get the chance to if we stayed in Columbus where things and people were familiar to us…and he wanted the chance for us to learn to depend on each other.

It was through that statement that this city-girl decided to call a place like Farmville “home.”

I have to say when I moved to Virginia I experienced homesickness like I had never experienced homesickness before.  Everything was different.  It was truly an experience.  People had southern accents.  There were deer in our yard!  Once a black bear ran past us on campus, and I kid you not…one night a mountain lion was in our back yard!  Places like the “Old Country Buffet” were popular.  The grocery store sold pickled pig’s feet and the gas station had boiled peanuts!  The day I saw those pig’s toes staring back at me in the meat department of the local grocery store, I left my half-full cart and practically ran out.  I sat in my car and cried wondering what in the world I was doing 500 miles away from all things familiar. 

As I wiped away tears, I remembered that conversation.  I remembered that John wanted a chance for us to depend on each other.  I didn’t learn to do that on that day, but I started to. My gosh!  Practically 11 years after that day I am still learning how to lean into John…to be vulnerable to him and depend on him.

Lately though I’ve been thinking more and more about how to lean into John and there is a parallel there.  I’m also learning to lean into my faith even more.  I’m learning how to press into God for the reassurance I need, to calm my restless spirit, and to give me strength on the days when I really need it…to be vulnerable to Him and depend on Him.

The years we spent in Farmville I grew.  We had good friends there and we became best friends to each other.  I feel more secure about who I am now than in those first years away from home.  That security has come from more than leaning on a strong husband.  The lesson learned is that no matter how many miles away from things familiar I am, no matter the peculiar cuisine; I am always just a prayer away from something can truly depend on.   

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

Thanks for reading.