family

After a wonderful, restful week away, I am home again. My husband’s mom took her children and their spouses on vacation. I had a very nice time and it was hard to leave the sunshine and the company of family.

Twenty six years ago, Jeff and I packed up our Subaru and a U-Haul with our children, our possessions , and our two dogs. We made the transition from living on a farm in Michigan to a new, unknown life in York, Pa. We left our home, our church and our extended family back in the Midwest.

We were only about an hour from family when we were living in Michigan but the move to Pennsylvania took us 8 hours from everyone we knew. It was a lonely first couple of years. As a young mom, with a five year old and a three year old, I felt alone. I missed our family and friends back home.

Living away from family all these years has been a sacrifice. Our children grew up without spending time with their cousins. We missed many family reunions and family holiday celebrations. There were things happening here that our extended family wasn’t a part of…the kids playing sports, first heartbreaks, numerous losses, wonderful celebrations. Now, my children have children and some of our family have never seen the twins or Brooke and Sam’s baby (this past week, Jeff’s family joked with me that maybe these babies don’t really exist…maybe we just made them up!)

But, something beautiful happens when we are together. It is as if we have never been apart. I loved the time we spent together. I had prayed, in the beginning of the week, that God would give me some time with each of my sister-in-laws to talk to them about how they were doing, how their kids were doing and I did get some precious time with each one of them.

I know families who don’t like to be with each other. What I have come home with is an appreciation of a family that does; a family that loves and accepts us even though we haven’t been a part of their ‘everyday’ life for many years.

It is a gift.

Grace and peace,
Deb