Company's Gone

My mother, sister, and sister-in-law left this morning at 8:00 in the pouring rain. They arrived Sunday afternoon, when the sun was actually shining. It was a short visit.

There was a need to plan around job schedules and my sister's move to Scotland. Her fiance has taken a job teaching and doing research at the University of Edinburgh. He is returning to Maryland later this month so they can elope (not the ladder-at-the-window type of elopement but a romantic get-away), get her visa in order, and put her house on the market. Despite all she still has to do, she wanted to make the trip to Maine.

The important thing was that we got to visit. Conversations started, changed direction, were interrupted, and started again. We talked while we prepared meals, while we ate, and while we cleaned up the kitchen. The day and a half revolved around food because it gave us something to do while we did what I really wanted to do - talk about where we are in our lives.

I enjoyed getting things ready before they came, I loved having them here, and I was glad to have chores to do after they left ~ I wanted to figure out why this visit was so important to me. I wanted my family to see our new house. I also wanted to share how I have changed in the time since our move. Thanks to what I have learned from Eckhart Tolle, I didn't need anyone's approval. I did want my family to see me...

...and while I was vacuuming this morning I realized why: there are more changes to come for me. I wanted to visit with family from the place I am now because I have no idea where I will be when next we meet. Although I don't know what's ahead, I know this time of transition is not over as the journey continues.