Every Now and Then

For those of you who know me, you know my family lives a scant 45 minutes away.  Considering that is the farthest we have to drive to see both sets of grandparents and the majority of our aunts/uncles/cousins (Sorry, California family!) we are very blessed. Or cursed, depends on the time of the year.

When I was first married, I was sure we would eventually move to my hometown. Even though my brand new husband had been very clear that we would NEVER live in such a little town, I was convinced he was lying. Well, he wasn't and 14 years later we are still living in the big city I moved to, just to go to college.  But within this large city, we have created a community of friends, neighbors, preschool families, and now school-age families, that I could not imagine living without.  It is a very different life then what I had pictured when I first got married, but it is a good place for us.

And most of the time I am just fine, living where we do, 45 minutes away from my mom and sisters. But every now and then I wish for the life I had thought was a given.

Last Wednesday, our entire neck of the woods was shut down due to a snow storm. And, yes, other parts of the country laugh at our snow-wimpyness, but seriously, we have hills and no skills!  On our second day of snow, and no school, I called my mom to say hi. Just to see what she was up to. Oh, not much, just at work with both of my sisters and her best friend. Eating doughnuts, sipping coffee, and talking. It was too snowy for any patients, but the clinic must be opened just in case, and since all three of them live so close they were able to head into work together.

And that is when I wished I was there. Or close enough to pass the kids off to my husband, and walk up in the snow, to sit and chat over coffee and doughnuts.  I envied my younger sister who has similar aged boys as she was away from them for the day. I envied my older sister who, even though, her kids had a no school day, they are old enough to be on their own and she too, left everyone behind. I was jealous that they were seeing other adults, talking, and laughing. I was also sad to miss out on the story telling, the laughing, the inside jokes that go with being a family.

I know I love where we live, the community we have built here, how close it is to Brandon's work.  Whenever the boys say, "We want to live near grandma!", I list all the things they would miss from our town.  But last week, when I hung up the phone and turned back to my boys, I would be lying if I said I wasn't sad. Just for a moment, I wished I did live on the same street, and work in the same clinic, and go to the same church....

Every now and then.