My youngest son has lived about thirty miles away from me
and once a week I would drive over to his house to provide child care for his
sweet child, for almost two years now. They have purchased a house close to me
and spent all last weekend and this week fixing it up and will move in
tomorrow! Hurrah! Now I will have that sweet child added to the other little
ones at my house several days a week. I
am glad to have them close by and have them more involved in family gatherings too.
On another note though, our youngest daughter and her family
left yesterday for the state of Washington! She has a three yr old boy and twenty one
month old twins. Her husband, in the military, has been transferred there from
Germany. Happily, at last her family will be reunited but it's so sad to see them leave us! I’m
not sure yet how we will adjust to the absence we will feel, we have not
experienced long distant grand parenting before. I may need some help and
support from some of you!
And lastly, I just mailed a letter to my dear ninety five
year old aunt who has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer; she only has weeks at best. She has lived a
long and well filled life. She never missed an opportunity to garden or craft
or do something kind and neighborly for someone. Always full of energy and life she gave and gave. I will miss her so! It was a
hard letter for me to write, but I wanted her to know, to tell her once again, how much she has meant to me all my life. Every year when I was a child, she made sure I had a new Easter dress by making one for me. She supplied all my kids with baby quilts and most of my grandkids too. I'm sure there are hundreds of baby quilts and blankets out there she has made, all as gifts! So hard to say good bye!
I have a large family, and I come from a large family. There
are lots of blessings and lots of trials connected to it all; you can’t have one without the
other. On one hand joy, on the other, sorrow. I have learned that through it
all the sun still rises and sets at the appointed time. In between rising and
setting there are meals to cook, dishes to wash, chores to be done. There are ones near to me that I can hold and
love, ones far away or in pain of some sort that I can think of and pray for while I miss them. I’ve
learned to cherish what I treasure and to let go what hurts or what I can’t
change. This too shall pass; change always comes.
Do you have weeks like mine? Did you have joys and heartaches
together?
I have had a lot of content theft lately. If you are reading this post anywhere else but at Family Home and Life then it was used without permission! Copyright© Family Home and Life 2012 All Rights Reserved


Oh, Connie! Isn't life bittersweet sometimes? I'll be praying for your family and your aunt especially. So glad you'll get to see more of one of your grandchildren, but heartbreaking that others will be moving away. ((Hugs))
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI am sending you a great big hug! Sorry you have had that kind of a week and I know you will hate those grandkids being far away BUT I also know you -- you will rise to the occasion and be the most awesome long distance grandma they could have hope for!
ReplyDeleteI'm really sorry about your aunt.
Wow! Great encouragement :)
DeleteI understand about the grandkids living away. My only daughter lives in Oklahoma and I live in Alabama. Too far away. I don't get to see them enough. One way I make them feel closer is to do stuff through email, like birdwatching with my grandson and I text my daughter and granddaughter most mornings with a simple "Good Morning". It helps. I'm so sorry about your Aunt. You are a good niece keeping in touch like that. Neices and nephews are great when you're a single Mom, whose only child lives in another state. A meaningful post, one I can relate too.
ReplyDeleteOh Judy, it sounds as if you know exactly what I mean! I hope one day you get to be closer to your daughter. I'm sure I will be learning all sorts of new ways to stay in touch.
DeleteONE BLESSING and TWO HEARTACHES...not an even week, Connie :( :(
ReplyDeleteYour aunt sounds as if she was a blessing to others all of her life...I am so sorry.
I wonder if your daughter is going to the Seattle area ? My oldest son lived there for awhile and I got to visit..it is a beautiful area and I hope that you'll be able to go there or wherever in Washington to spend time with them
Lastly...I don't understand about content theft...how does it happen and how do you find out that someone is DOING it ?
Yes it is the Seattle area. I hope to be able to go visit, and I have never been there. I hear it is beautiful.
DeleteAbout the content theft, I signed up for Google Alerts. It's a app that searches the web for you looking for key words you want it to use. I use Family Home and Life but you could use any words or phrases from a post or your blog. It then sends back to you what it finds. It was a little slow getting started and still is kinda slow to send me an alert. Lisa found one and sent me the link to it too. You can also do google searches on your own for key words.
That is so wrong when people take your hard earned posts and present them as their own. I am sorry it's happening to you. Also, I am sure you know that you brought such joy to the life of your dear aunt. I can only hope that makes her passing a bit easier on you when you know nothing was left unsaid. Bless you!
ReplyDelete