Change?

I know that as a kid growing up I come to the conclusion that I thought most people were like me and moved every couple of years because my dad was in the Air Force. As I look back at my life I had an incredible mom who was capable of making me fit into any circumstances in a rather transitional setting. So I will always remember after getting married and living close to both sets of grandparents that our first move away from everyone was traumatic.

So I know that we have been blessed to have all of our adult kids live in our area. Except for our oldest going away for a year to college and our other daughter leaving for training a couple of times that we are so use to family gatherings with everyone in town.

I know that I have been raised from birth to be prepared for change and moving. So moving from one house to another is lots of work but nothing traumatic. Yet, I know living in the same general area for the last 15 years has brought stability to Anne and me and our family. So the prospect of having one of our kids have to leave the area because of work is a little scary and sad. I know that with our kids growing up and getting married that at some juncture one of them or their spouses will get a job that requires a move.

So now that it is happening, I know that both Anne and I will be sad happy. Especially understanding that the holidays won’t be the same anymore. We both could relate how we grew as a couple when we didn’t live in the midst of the relatives. Don’t get me wrong we love both sides of our families but having the ability to choose what we are doing without having to check with 10 different people is great. Also being able to focus our attention on everyone we are visiting on vacation or for the holidays is also special.

I could get really mushy and sad about how difficult it is for dads to show their love for their kids until they move away. So I hope as our newly wed couple see their roots being moved to a new home and city that we can love on them, help them and be there at a distance. I guess it also gives us an excuse to be able to visit some different places and add variety to our lives.

I will always remember the day we had packed up our belongings in a U-Haul and moved away from everyone in San Diego that it was sad but exciting. We were moving back to the Bay Area and being involved with a new church start up. We were only a kid family so little did we know what would happen, as we were part of planting a few churches and also increasing our family through adopting. My mom’s legacy which I hope we can pass on to our kids as they relocate is that life is an adventure and as long as you are able to knock on the neighbor’s door you can make new friends and be able to borrow the proverbial cup of sugar or whatever. So, yes, I will shed a few tears over the next few months. I know that life at times throws us curves but God is always there helping, pushing and prodding us to grow and be more able to experience His Grace and Mercy.