Change…Really?

Since it has been such a long time since I’ve posted, there have inevitably been changes…good ones. We have moved. My husband and I have both been commuting an hour to and from work each day. He can work from home a few days each week. I can’t. We are in a town where we know very few people but it’s ok for me because I am rarely here in daylight. We were so steady where we were. We both worked nearby. We had friends and knew all of our neighbors (and liked them, too!). However, when it is time to change…it is time to change.

We bought our new house on a whim. Sold our old one and got here before the dust settled. Our work schedules and sites remained the same for the most part, so there was some continuity. Our youngest son and his girlfriend (who I really hope will be my daughter-in-law one day) lived with us at the old house and moved with us to the new. That has been a huge help both physically and emotionally. My mother plans to move to our new town as well so for the first time in my adult life, I will have family nearby. All in the near future. The real reason for this house, although not the pushed-up time frame, is to have a place where our family can gather. We had plenty of room at our last house, and some entertainment options, but this home, despite or because of its remote location,  offers so much more…nature preserves, beaches, kayaking from our own dock, boating from the marina…plus great restaurants and fabulous parks. In short, we downsized to paradise.

For the first time ever, our older two children and their families saw our new place today. We didn’t have a lot of time together, but enough for the kids to want to return with their kids and make more memories. We have wonderful pictures from the few hours we had together.

I will be leaving my work home of the past 17 years and my elementary cupcakes at the end of the year to teach English to students of other languages in the high school and middle school close to our new home. This is a professional change and a new challenge for which I feel ready. I am learning the first language of most of my new students beginning in August…if they can learn English, the least I can do is make an effort to learn their language. Like my new students coming to a new country with a different language, I am learning a new place and a new language. We are focused on being a blessing to our community and to making a memorable childhood for our grandchildren (and to giving our own children opportunities we were not able to give them when we were in the daily business of raising them).

So as we embark on this new adventure with all of the experiences from our previous adventures, we hope to be helpful, memorable, and available not just for our children and grandchildren, but for all in our lives. I will continue to post about the challenges of this endeavor on the blog so stay tuned! From our little piece of paradise,

Deirdre