(Not) Saying Goodbye to friends

Last weekend we had a nice evening at the farm, a kind of farewell party with a few families, but without an official farewell!  I'm refusing to say a big "goodbye" to everyone. When people try to hug and cry and say goodbye, I just respond in a bit of denial. 

Yes, we're moving this week.  But we'll be back a week later for Thanksgiving, and then likely several times in December too.  It's been an emotional past few months and I'm not feeling like making a big to-do out of this move. 

I guess I'm in some denial, but mostly I've just got a bit of a new perspective after going through the open heart surgery experience with Steven Joseph in September.  Nothing seems like quite a big deal after handing off your child to be put through something like that. 

 

Two of the families we shared the evening with have spent or are spending a number of years living in the Middle East.  So for me, moving 4 hours away seems like such a small move!  We hope to be back maybe in a few years, so we'll look at it as an extended vacation to the coast, right?  Yes, a bit of denial.  I'm sure it will hit me these next few days when Steven is home and we watch movers pack up our stuff and see our home of five years emptied of all our belongings.

Can you believe they got me my favorite RJ Goodies cakes?  Oh, now I might cry saying goodbye to RJ Goodies!  Just kidding ;-)

We also retired Timber out to the farm that evening.  With renting a home and many trips back to Houston, we just couldn't imagine moving our 13 year-old Labrador with us.  He has had a rough few months and has been really going downhill.  The children cried and sobbed as we drove away, wanting to take the doggy with us.  Poor kiddos, and poor Timber.  More on him later...

We really will miss our friends here.  Sharing Sunday Mass, frequent birthday celebrations, local family events, and homeschool activities, we have formed close friendships with so many families.  We did not imagine that we'd be one of those families who would move away, but here we are trusting that God has a beautiful plan in store for our family.  This job really fell into Steven's lap and we have great hopes for a fun new adventure down by the bay! 

I know we will meet new friends and have new activities, but our Houston friends will always be very close to our hearts.  As I write this, Steven Joseph is reading a book made by his best buddy J for SJ's surgery.  It's filled with photos of the both of them from the time they were babies, born only a week apart.  He kisses the photos of them and says how he'll miss his friend.

All of our friends were so generous during that time of great stress for our family in September.  Many watched our other children and brought us meals and even Holy Communion, others did laundry and cleaned our home.  All of them were an amazing prayer support for us. When I could barely breathe, they were there as intercessors to lift up my intentions to God.  And even during other times of illness and struggle, they have each been there for me as a listening ear, a warm meal at my door, and a mass offered for our family. 

We are eternally grateful for all that God has blessed us with during our time here in "the woods" and trust that even if we don't move back anytime soon, we'll still keep our friendships with all of these families.  They have been here for us in the good times and the bad and we will always thank God for the great blessings they have been to us.

"Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter; whoever finds one finds a treasure." Sirach 6:14

"A friend is a friend at all times, and a brother is born for the time of adversity." Proverbs 17:17