Gratitude

I need to send out thanks to the several amongst you who openly commented on my last post. I think that post was in some ways the most open and honest I have ever been on the blog, and I felt a certain amount of trepidation about my candor. Thanks to you all for being so supportive and encouraging, at a time when I needed it most. I am so very grateful.

Perhaps in line with this, I have made the definitive decision to move down to Texas to be with Adam. The deciding factor was the sheer joy on Bryony's face when she saw him last night, and the fact that she stayed up until 1:30am to visit with him. This little girl loves her daddy. Adam, too, seemed simultaneously happier and sadder than ever to see his little girl, now so much bigger than she was just a month ago, and so much more mobile. He knows that he has missed so much in the last two months. I cannot bear the thought of them being apart for any longer than they have to.

I am overwhelmingly sad by the thought of leaving Lansing, my home for the last almost-eight years. I have built an incredible community of friends and colleagues there, and the idea of leaving now, when it feels we have established roots for our family, is scary and a bit nerve-wracking. But we shall persevere. Luckily baby and I are very social so we will hopefully have little trouble meeting new friends.

Not to mention, I just saw a job announcement for a natural resource position in a town about 30 minutes from where Adam lives, and a professional acquaintance has already volunteered to communicate with his Texas contacts on my behalf, so there is employment potential on the horizon...

Life is moving on for so many people in our lives--new marriages, new babies, new jobs, new towns...as much as I want to stay where I am and live in the moment (or perhaps live in the past?) I know it is time to allow my life to move on as well. We are all growing up and moving forward, and that is a good thing.

Killeen, Texas, isn't any better than the last time I visited. But perhaps it can be a stepping stone to the next great place in our lives. Waxing optimistic.