Goodbyes

I overheard Randy telling someone on the phone that we have many goodbyes to say as we get ready to leave. We haven't really put down roots while we have been here--knowing we wanted to be back on the road again at some point--but we indeed have many goodbyes needing to be said.

We must say goodbye to family we have gotten to know better over the past few month. It has been a privilege to spend so much time with Randy's brother and sister-in-law and with my aunt. We will miss having such regular contact with them! We have said hello and goodbye to some of my relatives that I have really never known before. And I have enjoyed time spent with a new friend/"family member" I've gotten to know in Boulder.

We must say goodbye to new friends at the Arvada Vineyard--many of whom have opened their hearts to us, have listened to us, shared with us, prayed with us, and laughed and cried with us. We will miss spending time together in worship, socializing, and in marriage communication class. (And Jakob and Anna will miss playing with their new friends.) Keep in touch while we wander down the road!

We must say goodbye to fun swimming and bouldering at the Golden Community Center and we must say goodbye to the Golden Library---just a short walk down the pathway along the creek (meaning the librarians saw us every few days--and, yes, the Jefferson County Library System DOES have a limit on number of books that can be checked out at one time!!)

Finally, we must say goodbye to some of the stuff we have accumulated in the months we have been settled here. There are clothes that have been outgrown (or stained or ripped). There are books that have bred on our shelves (I SWEAR that must be how they accumulate so quickly!!) that need new homes. (Randy has decided that unlike Lucille Ball in the old trailer movie who collected rocks everywhere she and Desi went, my "rocks" which will overwhelm our weight restrictions are actually BOOKS.)

Then it will be on to the final details of re-packing this home so we can safely move down the road without our possessions ending up strewn all over the place and/or shattered with travel over bumpy roads. (pictures off the walls, drawer units stashed on our bed so the bed can slide-in under the wardrobe, pillows stuffed into kids' hidey-hole toy storage, and more...)

Why, again, did we decide to travel? Oh, yeah, the adventure, the new places to see and experience, the new friends we will make, pursuing dreams, healing from wounds...I guess there are good reasons for what we are doing. It just doesn't feel that way when it's

TIME FOR GOOD BYES