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!
