Refreshed, Loved, and a bit Sad

I didn't have this planned, but I basically took three weeks off in July (except for an online class I'm teaching). It was beyond wonderful--My heart was filled with love.

I mean I rarely take three consecutive weeks off. I think the last time I did that was in 1996 when we went to Ireland for the International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect, at which I was a presenter.

Since we were in that vicinity, we decided to travel around Ireland, Britain, and took the "Chunnel" to Paris. Great fun! We had a great time: Irish music, theatre (Riverdance, and Phantom of the Opera), pitch and putt, tea time, the Louvre, historic burial sites, and so much more. Our son was almost nine at the time of this fun and educational adventure.

But this three weeks off from work was a bit different. We stayed home.

Our son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren, ages three years and nine months came to visit prior to their moving out of the country for a minimum of two years.

I decided that during the time they were with us, to play, hold, give hugs, talk, look at stars, read books, love on, and more play time, and more holding every second that I could. Our time together was so precious for me.

Our three-year-old grandson said, "I'm going to miss you, Nainai."

With tears in my eyes, I responded, "I'm going to miss you, too."

Oh, my gosh, that is so true. They flew out one week ago, and I miss them so very much!

It's interesting, I spent three entire days (pretty exhausting) cleaning, clearing, sorting, rearranging (and still have some things to do) in order to find space for their stuff in our not-too-large home. Doing all of that occupied my mind, and I got to touch things each one of them had touched. All of that was healing for me.

The time off was refreshing. I didn't think very much about work, and yet, some ah-hah thoughts and ideas popped into my head.

I am now back in "my office," our son's bedroom. I'm looking at a photo of our son, daughter-in-law, and our two adorable grandchildren on the opposite wall. Missing them. Loving them. Thankful for their love and the time with them.

Our home is still filled with love, and a lot of their "stuff."

Our home is also quieter and calmer. But I can't wait for our home to be noisy again with the sounds of children's voices.

To Your Courageous Self!

Edie Savage-Weeks

Transformational Life Coach