Until We Gather Again. . . .

Life has returned to normal. Well, the new normal. No kids at home. The refrigerator looks bare and laundry baskets are practically empty. The driveway is no longer packed with the family fleet. It’s safe to leave your socks out – the dog has left, too. It’s quiet. Maybe a little too quiet.
I’m glad my sons have their own lives and their own homes. It’s what we wanted for them and frankly I would be concerned if they wanted to live with us forever. Still, I miss them to the moon and back when they’re gone and look forward to the next gathering.
I think it’s a healthy kind of “missing”. I might have cried a little inside when we said goodbye, but not for long. It is the plan. Now we have two on their own and one in law school. Thanks to technology, we talk or text to them most days. We are here if they need us, but most of the time it’s just that staying-in-touch kind of phone call. Usually they are on their way somewhere and have time to talk while they drive or walk. I love those calls. I hope they continue for the rest of my life.
As for the rest of our lives, we are still trying to figure out the right move. Do we move from our tropical paradise so we are closer to our children? Probably not now since they are one good job offer away from moving anywhere! I hope we will be close to them once there are grandchildren in the picture, but all indications are that we have some time before that happens. I dream of being close enough to all three that we could have regular family dinners. Wouldn’t it be fun to have an every-Sunday-barbecue? Friends and family welcome. Just drop in. In reality I know this is too much to ask in today’s world. We are geographically too far from each other. We are busy. Still, I think about it.
So for now, it’s all about us. And that’s a first, because when you’re a parent you aren’t used to being first. I think it might be kind of nice once we get used to it. But you know how that works. . . once that happens, things will change and we will have our next new normal.
I can’t wait to see what it is. ❤️