Tuesday 18 June 2013

packing up is hard to do

That crazy literary giant, Dr. Seuss, once said "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened".

While I get what he's saying, there has been a lot of crying in our household lately.  We can't help it.

We are emotionally fragile - there are tears because we miss home, because we want to go home and because we don't want to leave.  I well up every time someone asks me when we're leaving or how I'm feeling about going back to Canada.  One of our children refused to help pack up her stuff last night and screamed "I'm not leaving here".  Then there was foot stomping, door slamming and flopping into bed.  Exhausted, she fell asleep within minutes.

It's hard to wind things up, tough to say goodbye.  It's hard to let go of a place that is special and so breathtakingly beautiful and has captured our hearts.  It's not that we aren't looking forward to "going home".  We are.  We're excited to see our families and friends and begin our next adventure.  There are so many things about returning to Ontario and settling into a new life in the Pretty River Valley that get us all fired up.

We know that saying "see you soon" is so difficult because we've loved being here.  I asked the kids the other night - "I know it hurts, but hasn't it been worth it?"

So, Dr. Seuss, we are both smiling because it happened and crying because it's over.  We think they go hand in hand.