Truly a gray day

I woke up on Saturday, 8/6, and saw this

don't know if you can tell here, but it was raining

a gray, dreary, rainy day. I thought, "Well, that fits. That is exactly how I'm feeling on the inside. Gray. Dreary. The day I had been dreading for months had arrived."

packing up

Beth was moving to New York. We've been so blessed to have her and Greg right here in NC for a year, but a job was dictating a move to New York.

Greg had to be at work the previous Monday, but their stuff would arrive sometime within the following week or two. So, Greg spent one night with us and then took a plane to the big city. The plan was for Beth to stay with us, then drive to DC. Greg was to take a bus to DC, and they would drive to NY together.

John and I thoroughly enjoyed our week with Beth. We had lots of talks, laughs, pool time, times spent with the little ones, and thanks to our good friends' taking Abbey and Elijah, we even got to enjoy a dinner out with Beth and John, Jr. Isn't it ironic that just when your kids become wonderful people that you like to be around, they up and move??

So, the day had arrived. I couldn't put it out of my mind anymore. Our oldest daughter was no longer going to be a few hours away. She no longer would be able to jump into a car and drive home if ever we needed her to. We no longer would be able to stop in and see her when we traveled to or through Charlotte.

She lollygagged as long as she could but there came time to do some "one more's"

Run for Bella

Picture by the mailbox

Hug

Kiss

and more hugs

Then, with Bella, the copilot

and one more wave,

she drove off.

Not gonna lie, we all shed quite a few tears. In fact, it has been a couple of weeks now, but I'm getting misty as I recall it even now. Not fun stuff. But, life sometimes isn't fun. I just need to count my blessings and remember that it could be worse. She could be across the country, or even out of the country. There are many other "could be's" which would make things a lot worse. The main thing I need to remember is that God is watching over her there, just as He did here, and He loves her more than I do.

Beth is doing well. After struggling to fit their stuff in a much smaller space, she is discovering her new home. Greg is working killer hours, so my prayer was for Beth to meet a friend quickly. It seems that the Lord agrees with that prayer, because the next day Beth called and said she had met a friend possibility. Yay God! She's going to be just fine.

As for Mama... she's still struggling with the distance and unfamiliarity of Beth's abode.  But, I'm trusting in the God who gave her to me, that He will watch over her and Greg, guide them, and that He has a plan for their life that, at least for now, includes a little distance from us.