December Travels

I am heading home!
After 5 days in the winter wonderland of Nebraska, I am heading back to Oregon.

Things I will miss:
Melissa and Justin, Aimee and Mike (even though they weren’t in town this time around), and Brad, my oldest son.


I will certainly miss Cale and Zack, my two grandsons.


Early morning breakfast, and evening dinners together; the laughter of young ones at play. I will miss sharing with a young mother the joys and struggles of parenting toddlers.



Miechelle and Scott, Trevor and Jenny, Jared and Bobbi, Torp, Matt, Jose, Sonny, and Jim.
And I will miss the spiritual guidance and direction from those that listen to me so well.


I will miss going to the store,
the coffee shop,
church,
even the gas station,
and running into people I know, but haven’t seen in a while.

I will miss the quirky things found in a small town like a Liquor store that also doubles as a mini storage.


And I will miss Thunderhead beer. !

What I won’t miss:
Dry skin, static-y hair that clings to your face,
and chapped lips.
Not being able to leave the house without my gloves.
Trying to unlock doors and get inside,
all while fumbling around with numb fingers,
Blowing snow and wind chill below zero,
icy roads,
and having to stand outside in sub zero temps and pump your own gas.


Moving away has been a difficult transition for me. Most everyone knows that. One of my spiritual mentors likened it to grieving over a death, yet there is no grave, no tomb stone, nothing to give it closure. It is also difficult to know where one is at in the midst of the grieving process. Am I still stuck in the beginning? Maybe I have transitioned to the middle. Or Perhaps I am nearing the end of my grieving process. I guess it is sometimes hard to tell.

So I have to make my own closure;
my own milestone,
or benchmark that shows my progress. …
However, I do feel as though I have made progress in the past 18 months.

But there are still things I am grieving the loss of.
Going back helps me.
Each time I go for a visit and leave again,
it is another step towards the future,
another step towards letting go.

And visiting Nebraska in the ‘dead’ of winter helps me let go!
The weather STINKS!

I am very much looking forward to a more mild Oregon winter!