He's leaving me...

Darrell's leaving me.  But I'll be ok.  I mean, it's not as if he hasn't left before.  The first time, our daughter was just a few years old.  And he'll be more lonely than I am.  He'll miss me, quickly.  You'll see.  First, he'll start coming home on weekends.  Then, he'll tell me about how lonely he is without me and the kids.  Before you know it, he'll start looking at houses in hopes of luring us closer to him again. 

And it will work, because I'd follow this guy to the ends of the earth.  I mean, once again he's keeping me in the Eastern time zone, which seems to be the one constant in all of our moves.  Within a matter of months, we will have lived in six different states, owned seven different houses, lived in at least nine different towns, rented a few apartments and mobile homes for good measure, regularly attended at least six different churches, and made countless amazing friends along the way.  All in 20 amazing years of marriage.

How can I not love a guy who would include this in his work email notifying colleagues of his upcoming departure:  "I honestly hope that if you've worked with me, that I have done good work with or for you and I hope you and Lexmark go forward with success and that you continue to do well for your families. I hope that maybe I smiled at you on a day you didn't feel so hot and maybe held the door for you on a day that most things sucked, hopefully making you feel a little better because I was there. Thank you for the opportunity to be here with you and for bearing with all my faults. I hope you would say that you are glad to have known me and you are glad that God put our lives together, even if for just a while. Thank you."

I like to think that we've left a little piece of ourselves in every community in which we've lived.  Because I've gained so much more than that from the people who have touched our lives along the way.  This time is even tougher than most.  We finally tried to put down roots here.  It's the only home our son remembers.  It takes me a long while to really start opening up to friends, and in many ways, I feel like I've just begun to get to that point with several friends here.  My heart aches.

And at the same time, I have to admit, I like the adventure of moving to a new place.  It feels right somehow, too, even while it hurts.  I think it's what God has in mind for us.  I know it's not the right life for everyone.  But I think it's the one he chose for us.  I do hope we can stay put this time until the kids are through school.  But that's only nine years.  Long enough to set another record, and then, who knows what's next?  Maybe following one of the kids to another place.  Maybe even venturing outside the Eastern time zone?

Just please don't allow me to let Darrell convince me to roam the country with him in our RV!