The first was a good one, resulting in a closer relationship with my husband, a Wonderful Man (WM).
The second one is painful… heart-breakingly so – well, at least for WM and I.
DD and SIL have decided to move 585km (365 miles) away to a small town on the NSW mid-north coast.
SIL has quit his job in Sydney because of high stress levels. He has accepted a job working in his family business as an office administrator and part-time receptionist.
They will rent in their new town and will put their current home on the rental market so that they will always have a foothold in the Sydney real estate market. They are currently packing and will be gone before the end of March.
This news is sudden and, although not entirely unexpected, leaves WM and I bereft. DD is our only child and her sons -- the joy of our lives -- are our only grandchildren.
We cannot follow; WM has a job here and at his age, finding another is unlikely.
If you are a praying person, we would appreciate your prayers, especially for DD who has always been close (physically and emotionally) to her parents.
In preparation for the move, we have been child-minding and/or helping them to get their house ready for the rental market. We are both sad and tired. Is it any wonder I haven’t been crafting or blogging?
And if you're wondering how I cope, I lose myself in the alternate reality of reading fiction!
Oh that's a bit of sad news, its hard living away from family, my mum moved back to Sydney and now I havent seen here for nearly a year :( it just gets a bit difficult to find the time to fly down to see her. My sis also lives in Bali and I havent seen her in years either, her kids have grown up not knowing their cousins, which is a shame. Hugs to both of you.
ReplyDeleteMoving away from family (or having family move away) is hard. I hope you all will manage ok, and hopefully it will mean some nice trips for you to the coast.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you'll be burning up the phone lines in the future. Are you set up for Skype? I know it's not the same as having someone there in person, but just being able to see people makes them feel a little bit closer.
ReplyDeleteI'm an only child as well, living a similar distance away from my parents. We speak on the phone a lot and make the most of the time that we do get to spend with each other in person.
Sending a hug. This is going to be hard on everyone. Definitely I'll be praying for you, His grace is sufficient for even this.
ReplyDeleteHi Lynne,
ReplyDeleteThe heart strings always get tugged on times like these, the positive side to it is that those visiting holidays you will have are going to be super duper special.
Hugs, Anita.
You will miss them Lynne, we can tell how deeply. The upside perhaps is that they won't be too far away for fairly frequent visits. I am so lucky to have two of my grandchildren just an hour away.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame you one bit for being sad. I would be sad too.
ReplyDeleteI know it's not quite the same thing, but my colleague's daughter emigrated from the UK to the USA. They cope by regular Skype sessions on the computer.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear this Lynne.
ReplyDeleteIt must be very hard for you both.
I don't have a close family. My mum wouldn't be fussed where I lived - she gets annoyed if I ring her a few times a week. I learned to accept that is how things are with her - she never rings me. I hope I have a closer relationship with my kids like you have with your daughter. I would see you and your daughter at the Knitter's Guild. I admired your relationship and hoped I would be close like that with my children when they are older.
Is she near the ocean ?
Family moving away is always hard but visits phone call , Skype, emails and good old fashioned letters can help make it easier. When I left school I moved 200+ miles from home and not long after my parents and brothers moved a lot further north. I was devastated but over time we got into a routine of regular visits and lots of phone calls. Mom and I loved writing really long newsey letters even if we had spoken on the phone.
ReplyDeleteHard news but with technology they won't feel as far away as all those km. not much comfort I know but it will make the times you are together very special. FaceTime and/or Skype keeps you in good contact. They will thrive in a small country town, getting involved in a local community, and such a great way for kids to grow up. Keep the faith.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you are going to miss them a lot, Lynne - it's hard to be distant from your family - and believe me, I know what I'm talking about! At least in this day and age, we have things like internet, skype, blogging, video calls to help lessen the ache a bit :) Hugs to you!
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard when family has to move away on both sides. We moved 500 miles from both my and My Guy's family in the late nineties (we had been only a couple hours drive from both families). It was a joy to move back to the only a couple hours away. Do look into Skype, I have a SIL that uses that to communicate with her daughter's family. It's not a replacement, but it is better than a phone call.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry sorry to hear your daughter is moving....but I know that God has a plan and that it is a good one.
ReplyDeleteI am feeling a little of your pain myself as two of my brothers are moving across country with their families. We have always lived near each other. I rationalize and tell myself that I didn't see them that, but the thought of them being so far away is hard.
I feel for you. My oldest son and his wife moved 6 hours away from us. No grandkids but I do miss them both a lot. We plan to go see them in September. I will pray for you all.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Carrie P.
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ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that part of your family is moving away. Thinking of you!
ReplyDeleteOh yes. I see. I really, really see. The one or two occassions where Alice's parents have thrown up the idea that they could move away has caused me to feel incredibly ill and afraid. I couldn't bear it. I can only say you must visit often and set up skype so that you can all see each other as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteOh, darling woman..no wonder you are so sad! Heck, I cried for two solid weeks when my kids left for college and I knew I'd see them on most weekends. Get Skype, make sure they have a computer and Skype face to face..especially with your little one! And besides that..praying for you, all!!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is sad news :( I have one daughter who lives far away so I know how hard it can be.
ReplyDeleteI'm touched by your post. My parents live 468 miles away and my kids are also their only grandchildren. Skype, cell phones and email are wonderful things. I will say a little prayer for your family to stay close despite the distance. x
ReplyDeleteOh Lynne, I'm sorry. I hope we soon get some lovely news of visits and cuddles. This sounds like a difficult change.
ReplyDeleteXoxoxo