Moving Woes

Regular life has been put on hold while I help my friend pack and clean for their move to California. I know, it's a long way from Minnesota to California. I'm really excited for my friends because this is a dream job that they've been waiting for a long time to happen.

On the other hand, I DON'T WANT THEM TO LEAVE! We've known them for almost 10 years and love them to pieces. Our kids played with their kids and went to the same school. We've prayed and played together. And now they're gone and I'm so sad.

I hate saying good bye. I feel as if I didn't say "hello" enough. We didn't do enough fun stuff. We could have shared so much more of our lives. These friends are so gifted and talented and blessed us in so many ways. They are creative and hard-working. You just get the feeling that they loved loving you.

We've talked on the phone about 10 times since they left at noon yesterday. We both have the same cell phone company and have been answering the phone, "Can you hear me know?" At some point, they will be in the mountains of California, and we won't hear one another. Oh, I'm so sad.

When my oldest daughter was 5 we had a college student live with us for a year after her graduation. On the day that she left for a teaching job in Japan, the two of us sat on the couch and cried and cried. When we had calmed and quieted down, I told her that this was a good hurt. "It means you really love someone when it hurts this much when they leave." Over the years I've really loved a number of people who have left for other locations. (especially a friend who left for heaven!) It's a sadness that points to how rich our lives really are. What a paradox!