Friday, October 4, 2013

Real Life

As much as I love all things sewing- and quilting-related, the reality is that I love my family even more. The depth of that hit me this week as we said farewell to our son, DIL and 3-1/2 year-old grandson who are moving from Tampa, Florida to Texas. They have lived in Florida for the past nine years, but only in the last 15 months have we been just 90 minutes apart from each other.

We have a special place in our hearts for Austin. Last week he visited the Magic Kingdom one more time. Being attracted to Jack Sparrow and all things pirate-y, he came to our house prepared to pillage and plunder.

After spending a couple nights here, we thought we'd say good-bye last weekend. But, we couldn't help ourselves and made one more visit to see them last Tuesday evening. Still. Good-byes are tough, and I wasn't the only one crying about it.

They will be so missed! How difficult it will be to not have them visit every few weekends - to enjoy golf cart rides, trips to the Farmer's Market, worshipping together, and evenings on the square.
Austin holding a Captain Hook figure
There isn't much that makes a Nana - or Bapa - prouder than holding a little hand whenever we go places together.

They're moving themselves, so that in itself is a big deal, especially with our sweet DIL six months pregnant with #4 grandson.

Not only are they facing the long trek of a multi-state move, but they're driving into this. Dear Ms. Karen, your timing couldn't be worse.

Already I'm missing them, and will dissolve into tears if I think about them too much. And now I'm concerned for the challenges they're driving into. Heavy rain, at the very least. It's another one of many times when a parent can only pray and trust that God will watch over them and keep them safe. And you Texans... there's a lovely new family headed your way. Please take good care of them. Linda

11 comments:

  1. Safe travels to your family...and I hope Karen does not prove too difficult!

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  2. Prayers for their safe trip and getting settled into a new location. I predict you'll be traveling to Texas soon. : )

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  3. Oh, I hate driving in the heavy rain...will certainly be praying. Your son looks so much like you, Linda!

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  4. My prayers are with them for safe traveling and especially for you. I appreciate how difficult this must be.

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  5. I am not fortunate to have children or grandkids, but I know how you feel about loved ones being far away from you. There is always Skype and planes to make the distances shorter. I will say a prayer for their safe travels in the coming days.

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  6. Finally, a tropical storm named for me!! But I hate being in the way of your family's travels. It's always fun to start on a new adventure in life, but I'm sure they hated leaving you as much as you hated to see them go! Keep us posted on their progress!!

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  7. Linda I'm so blessed to have all three of my kids living in the same state, two of them in the same town. This post is a good reminder for something I often take for granted. Blessings, Marlene

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  8. Oh how sad! I can totally understand that it's hard for you to see your son and family move away. I remember how distraught my mum was when we first left Switzerland with my then one year old daughter, her only grandchild at the time, to move to the other side of the world (Australia). But to be honest, I only appreciate how hard it was for her (and my dad) now with hind-side. I hope you'll get to visit soon, as I think you'll feel better, once you've seen where they are living now. Somehow it puts it more into perspective and it's not so abstract. Big Hug xx

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  9. My heart goes out to you Linda, I know exactly how you are feeling . My prayers go with your son and family for safe trip
    and for a happy new life in Texas. My other prayer is for you and your husband that you will get over your sadness and start planning your first trip. Blessings Sandra

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  10. that is sad that you finally get to be close and now they're leaving :(

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  11. How heart breaking for you. I hope their travels were safe and the storm didn't cause too much trouble.

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