When we moved to where we built the cabin, the most difficult part about leaving “home”, was leaving my parents. They were close enough to be to their house in about 30 minutes, so if they needed us, we could be there. Leaving the state where my children and grandchildren live was difficult of course, but one of them lives over 3 hours from where we were, and the other about 7 hours, so while it was difficult, visits were going to entail a drive anyway, so though now it’s a longer drive, it’s still a drive. With my parents though, that was a tough one, and daily I worried that they may need me and I’m so far away!
This past summer my parents came to visit us here, and I can honestly tell you, they surprised me a LOT when they said they could see themselves moving here to be near us. They felt for themselves the sense of peace that we found not just in the mountains, but in the attitudes of the people in the area in which we now live. They went home and began to sort some of their things and get some non-essentials packed, against the day when they may be able to move. By fall some of the energy towards that end was wearing a little thin, since winter hits early here, and moving in the middle of winter can be very iffy, depending on the weather, so at that moment I felt like we’d have to slow down our thoughts and wait. But God had other things in mind!
Without going into a great deal of detail regarding how things came about, we were able to find a small home that would suit my parents’ needs, about 35 minutes away from where we live, closer to town, stores, doctors, etc. We discussed it with them, and they said yes! Plans moved forward, and two weeks ago – wow – exactly 2 weeks ago! – my husband, myself and my son, made the trip to my parents’ place, we loaded up their belongings into a U-Haul and we brought them back to the house where they were going to live. A few short days after that, my folks arrived to see it for the very first time. Talk about stepping out in faith! (I had to take this picture of the truck after my son backed it in – those years working for a moving company paid off! He did great backing into a tight space.)
It’s going to take some time to sort through their things and get them put away – this house is smaller than the one they just moved out of, but my mother is a genius at making the most out of small spaces. I have no doubts that she will make this house as cozy as it has ever been, probably more so, and knowing they are close by gives all of us peace in our hearts. We’ve already been down to see them a couple of times, and they are coming to have Easter dinner with us on Sunday! I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty happy about that!
I have to say, when we moved here it was because we knew it was where we were supposed to be. Hubby has family here, and this is the place I felt for years I was meant to spend the rest of my life. For my folks, this was a giant leap of faith, and a huge life change! They had lived in our old state for all of their lives – with a brief exception when my father was serving in the Navy – so to pack up and leave everything they were familiar with, to move into a house they’d never seen before in person, this was huge! There is a LONG list of places where adventure can take them from here, places they have never heard of, and certainly that they have never seen before. They are an inspiration to all people, that life does not have to stagnate. You can make a new future no matter the stage of life in which you are living, and look forward to creating new memories each and every day.
Now THAT is the way to Celebrate Every Day!
