Well, the chapter of our Maryland life is closed. As Mike and I walked through the house together one last time, making sure we hadn't left anything, that all the lights were off, the keys, openers, and manuals were in place, and that it was clean for the new owners, we finally got to the front door. We stopped, he wrapped his big arms around me, and I just had a good cry. I'd been so busy the previous couple of weeks, I hadn't given much time to my emotions, but here it was. It was over. Time to turn off the entry light, lock the door, and drive away.
"We've had a good twelve years," he said. I couldn't say anything, only nod. In truth, our family has grown so much over this time. None of us will ever be the same. We have been blessed by so many good people. There has been so many personal victories by every member of our family. And yet, when I said the dinner prayer over our Subway sandwiches that night, I felt very strongly that we are going elsewhere to be influenced by more good people. And, we will influence others too, and that is what lies ahead in the next chapter.
LittleBuddy turned to me in the car somewhere in West Virginia and said, "I want to go back home. I know every nook and cranny of our house even with my eyes closed." Our homes do hold special feelings for us, especially in our childhood memories. I remember feeling the same way about my house on Lemon Avenue in Long Beach. Fortunately, he is a map-guy, so giving him the Rand McNally atlas kept him busy and looking ahead, not behind.
If lives have chapters, this next month could be called, "The Temporary Home." A hotel room with 10 suitcases, 17 boxes, a mini-kitchen set up in an area the size of a small closet, a few more miscellaneous stuff moving companies won't take, and laundry to be done upstairs in the coin-operated machine is going to make for a long month. Fortunately, the hotel itself is lovely, and has what I am now referring to as the family room - an area filled with leather sofas, comfy chairs, and a fireplace, just past the next room and around the corner from our room. LittleBuddy and I played farkle and Chinese Checkers today on the sofa table. It also has a 24 hour indoor pool, a well-equipped fitness center, and fabulous restaurant. We had our first two meals today there. Financially, however, I need to get to a grocery store soon.
It was great having Shaena and Steven home in Maryland and then able to help us drive across the country. Both of them love Colorado Springs, and can't wait to really live here. That helped the younger two, who although willing, are more nervous about actually living here. Although I miss having them close to me already, and they only left this morning, I am grateful they are headed back to the college chapter of their lives. They are great students, and will continue to grow and make great progress there.
Today I have just been exhausted. I've had two naps in my hotel room and have yet to leave the hotel premises. I drove the Suburban the entire way, pulling our trailer behind it. When the wind was blowing and I had to hold tightly to the steering wheel, I thought of Elaine's Dalton talk about doing Hard things. Even if our challenge only lasts a few hours or a few miles, knowing we are capable of doing more than we really want to, and doing it, helps us to grow. I only had a near miss once, and fortunately I saw the speeding black car in time not to hit it as I was changing lanes. We were traveling in a caravan, with me (and the GPS) leading the way, Shaena/Steven behind in the Infiniti, and Mike bringing up the rear in the car with 180,000 miles. The rest of the family gasped watching my stupidity, and later breathed a sigh of relief. I felt myself blush with embarassment. I'm grateful for the Lord's little whisperings, to check again. He saves me so often in so many ways every day. I am especially grateful my dad gave me the advice to drive along I-64 instead of the 70 for the first half of the trip. That gave us perfect weather the entire time, and made for a much easier trip than it could have been.
While it was a good road trip as far as road trips go, we did lose Mike in downtown St. Louis. He assured us that he got a better view of the Arch than the rest of us. We all met up later at a Steak and Shake down the road, and everything was right with the world again. A coyote the size of a large German shepherd ran in front of me in southern Indiana, and fortunately I didn't hit him and I realized I don't associate coyotes with Indiana. What would normally be miles of cornfields, was miles of brown fields and farmhouses. Still, it is a beautiful country and a good one. Listening to Christian stations on the radio I felt humbly reminded that the breadbasket of America follows the bread of life because they love Him. I am grateful to be an American and while I think of my friends "back home" a lot and hope they're all doing as well as can be expected, and I hope to see them again, its time for the next chapter in our lives.
I surely don't want to drive all the way back, so here we go. I'm ready. Tomorrow the house hunting begins. A new life awaits. Its the ultimate new year's resolution - to create a new life in a new place, making all new memories, and redefining myself in hopefully, better ways. I hope the next twelve years we can look back again, and say, These were good years.
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