Moving & the Pillsbury Doughboy®

by Pam Morton

Sweat trickled down my forehead as I opened what I deemed “The Absolute Last Box of the Day.” We recently moved into a new town, new community, new home, and I had the boxes to prove it. I was anxious to unpack our items so I could feel a sense of familiarity and settledness. I didn’t realize how much I wanted this until I looked around the garage and saw the chaos I had created with packing materials, empty boxes, and bubble wrap in the frenzy just to get it done.

Now as I began unearthing the final items, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Carefully wrapped in layers of brown paper was a tiny Pillsbury Doughboy® holding a pumpkin. What? I laughed some more. Could these be...? Are they...? YES! As I continued to unroll the paper, Pillsbury Doughboy® figurines in varying poses began to emerge. PBDB holding a heart. PBDB waving a flag. Even PBDB sporting a green vest for St. Patrick’s Day. Twelve of these gems in all. 
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by Jonnie Anderson, on Flickr

​"Carefully wrapped in layers of brown paper was a tiny Pillsbury Doughboy®..."

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I paused and wondered how long it had been since I had actually displayed these in our home. 2008! Wow! Fifteen years. 2008 was the year we packed up our Missouri lives and moved to the Middle East. All of the items I couldn’t part with had been carefully stored in my in-laws’ home until now. Our new AGWM assignment is with Missionary Kids (MKs), so we are State-based, which means…the PBDB Crew could once again see the light of day! Or would they?

Off to my right, a pile of decos from our lives in Africa and Israel needed a place to go. How could I mesh Shabbat candlesticks, a Beja sword, and PBDB into a cohesive look that the Property Brothers would like? I stood in the center of it all and sighed. This was a summation of my life displayed in decos.

Yes, I still like the Pillsbury Doughboy® figurines. Why? I don’t know if I’ll ever have an answer to that question. But I also like the candlesticks and the sword. They all represent places I’ve lived and the dear people with whom I’ve shared life. They represent the person I’ve become since Pam Version 2008 first packed her house.

I’m not sure where these will all end up in our home, but they each will have a place. Upon visits, our neighbors may find it weird or eccentric, but I’m okay with that. We’ll call them conversation starters and see where it goes. The Lord has helped us through many (and I mean many!) moves. Some were voluntary and some were not. We had seasons that were warm and inviting like the Shabbat candlesticks and some that were sharp and gutting like the Beja sword. Yet, I can’t mention one without the other, because I discovered different facets of the Lord’s care through the days and the nights of the soul. I’m grateful, and our home will reflect all of it.

And the Pillsbury Doughboy®? Well…he gets a spot, because at the end of the day, who doesn’t want to dress up for a holiday and eat a warm biscuit? 

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Pam, her husband, John, and two teenaged daughters packed up their fulfilling, understood Midwestern lives and moved to Cairo, Egypt in 2008. Her dream of serving overseas became a shocking reality of daily cultural encounters that often left her wondering if she’d actually landed on Mars instead! From Cairo to Khartoum to Upper Egypt to Israel, Pam learned, lived, and thrived in a sandy, sweaty, hospitable land. Pam and John's new assignment provides support to MKs and their families through TCK International Academy and parent mentoring. Pam loves to connect with her church family to encourage, laugh and inspire. (www.johnandpammorton.com). Pam and John have two married daughters and are smitten with their three granddaughters.

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