Another Move

The kids and I recently returned to Washington after spending the month of June in Pueblo, Colorado.  We had a wonderful time visiting all our friends and staying with my parents.  We also had the pleasure of attending the wedding of one of my favorite cousins, Diana (Annie).  It was a wonderful day for them, and though it was a bit hard for me to be at a wedding (the first since I lost Mel), it was a moving experience for me to witness what God has done in my family over the course of the last 30+ years.  My brother, cousin, and I used to be quite the partiers.  Since then we have all committed our lives to Jesus Christ, and my brother actually performed the marriage ceremony.  It was a proud moment for me to witness him doing this.  He also joked that when it was time to ask for objections, he would have to be the one to object because Diana and Andy (my brother) always said they were going to marry each other.

During this trip home I also experienced sadness at seeing how old my parents are getting.  You never think of that growing up, but one day you look at them and realize they are getting more frail and more forgetful and more tired, and the list goes on.  My mom has lost a lot of weight and is very shaky at times.  My dad is stiff with arthritis from all the hard labor he has done over the years.  I looked at them and and knew I had to go back to Colorado.  The biggest reason is that I don't want my kids to lose the time they have left on this earth to be together, and I have such a feeling of gratitude to them for what they have helped me endure over the past few years.  They were my rock and security dealing with Mel's diagnosis, his surgery, all the trips to Denver and ultimately his death.  They would never expect this of me or ask me to pick up and move to help care for them in their later years, but I feel like it would be an honor for me to care for them, and it will also help teach my kids that family is important and you care for them when they are unable to care for themselves.  All this being said, we will be putting our home in Odessa on the market, and when it sells we will be moving back to Colorado, and we are praying for a quick sale. It will be a bittersweet move just like the move me made to come to Washington.  I will miss my family here and all the wonderful friends I have made who have helped me to heal and who have loved us so much this past year.