Behind the Scenes: An Update

 

As you know, I’m a pretty open book here on the blog. I try to share candidly about the good and hard alike of this life we live. But every now and then I sit on a story – for different reasons. Sometimes the stories aren’t meant to be told in real time, and I await the appropriate time to share. Sometimes the stories are painful, and I need to do a little healing before I welcome others into the space of those stories. Sometimes it’s a matter of privacy that I need to protect in the moment, and I share once that need has lifted.

            Today I have a new story to share, and the reasons why I’ve kept this one under wraps are quite varied. But today I want to tell you!

            After months of conversations, planning, preparing, praying, and navigating about a hundred million details, I’m excited to share with you that my parents have moved near us!

            For those of you who might be new here, my dad is in his early 90s and my mom is in her late 80s, and since the 1960s, they have lived in the house they built together as a young couple, back when they only had two daughters, and I was still a few years down the road from showing up on the scene. For lo these many years, they have cultivated a life and home on that property they purchased. You’ve heard those stories over the years – of how they’ve added onto the house a couple of times, grown big gardens, hosted lots of dinners, and wrapped up in all of it, they made a good life.

            But when you achieve senior status in life and are still trying to navigate caring for a couple of acres and hauling laundry up and down some stairs, it’s time to look at making a change for all kinds of reasons.

            It’s hard to do. There’s a lot of sadness and grief wrapped up in letting go of something so meaningful and so long-standing. There’s a lot of joy and excitement about something new and the possibilities ahead. And there’s a lot of practical work involved in packing up a home after that many years and downsizing into something new.

            It’s a big decision…figuring out where to go and what might feel like home. My sisters and I did a lot of research into some different places and offered to research even more if there were locations we hadn’t thought of. In the end, there was just one place they thought might feel like home to them, and it’s where Ryan works.

            I have to tell you the really beautiful God-background of this. Ryan and I live over an hour away from my parents, but oddly enough (or is it??) back when I was just a little kiddo, my parents had some friends who lived in our present county, and in fact…they lived at the very retirement community where Ryan works. Mom and Dad had visited them on several occasions. They loved the place and had no idea that twenty-plus years down the road, they would have a son-in-law who worked there.

            But God worked that out.

            So back in December, my sister and brother-in-law brought them up for a tour and visit, and they were willing to consider it. And after weeks of prayers and conversations, they made the commitment, chose their new apartment, and we began packing.

            Throughout these last few weeks, we’ve been traveling to their home often to help them pack. My sister made a bunch of trips as well, and if Mom said it once, she said to me a hundred times, “What possessed you to move so many times? This is so much work!”

            Indeed it is. But all those moves of ours sure came in handy in knowing what they would need to pack and prep for this move.

            I am so proud of them for how they were able to let go of things and think rationally through the things they would actually need. I think watching Ryan and his siblings clean out his mom and Allen’s house helped them understand the massive undertaking of such a thing, and they were willing to part with things a bit more easily.

            And so the day before Easter, Ryan and I showed up with a moving truck and we (along with a crew of helpers) packed up the bulk of the things. On Easter Sunday, my parents worshiped with their little church for the last time as their pastors, and then on Monday, April 1, we drove back to their house, put the last of the things in the truck, and drove it to their new home. Their sweet new little one-bedroom apartment with laundry just down the hall and three meals a day provided in the dining room.

            They can see Ryan all the time at work, which is pretty much their favorite part of this transition. Dad can see Lexi on the regular, which he admitted was a huge selling point. Somewhere in there I’ll just choose to believe that getting to see me might also be a bonus. 😉

            We’re still getting them settled in and figuring out what feels most like home. But it feels so good to know they are close by and in a safe place. They don’t have to shovel sidewalks and driveways. They have a pretty handsome transportation guy if they need a ride and don’t feel like driving. They can come enjoy the lake when the weather gets nice. They can participate in all manner of exciting adventures like field trips and programs and shopping at the cute little on-site boutique.

            I’m so happy for them. I’m so happy for the things I know they will love, even if they haven’t gotten to experience it all yet. And I’m happy they’ll be close by and we can tend to things as they need them.

            So you might just see a little more of them in this space now. Welcome to the county, Mom and Dad! It’s good to have you here.

            PS – I hadn’t told you this story back when I shared my eclipse post, but they were with us for that, too!