An "I Love You" Card

Recently, we had to say goodbye to friends of ours-at last temporarily.  It was bittersweet. My friend's husband had been working in MA during the week and coming home to PA on weekends to see his family for the last few years.  His several month project had turned into a several year project.  Recently he switched jobs and his new job is in MA so they decided to move there permanently.

A few days after they moved, Emily asked about if she could see her friend C.  I explained to her that he moved to MA with his mommy, daddy, and baby sister.

She looked at me and said in her three year old wisdom, "He's with his mommy and daddy?  Okay, Mommy.  Will he be back?  I have to send him an "I love you" card!  Can I mommy?"

I worried apparently needlessly about how she would take with her little friend moving away.  Now she has someone to send her drawings to which is exciting in her eyes.

Last weekend when my friend came back to visit friends and family, I had told Emmy that her friend C was coming to visit.  While she was excited she wasn't "I'm to excited to nap" excited or "asking when is C getting here repeatedly" excited.  It made me a little sad and worried for when she saw him.  What if she had forgotten how much fun they had and reacted nonchalantly to him while he would be super excited to see her?  What if she refused to play with him? Or worse what if she got super cranky and refused to share her toys?

I need not have worried.  When she saw him she immediately went to him and hugged him-hard.  Of course she told him she loved him to!  They played together as though no time had been spent apart. Of course, then I worried about when it was time to say goodbye again.  But again Emmy said goodbye as though she would be seeing C again in a few days-even though it will probably be closer to a few weeks. 

Of course I had a harder time saying goodbye.  I have had to say goodbye to three of my closest friends-all three were my bridesmaids when I got married.  K still lives where I grew up.  I was the one who moved away.  Of course not far but with kids it is harder to make that one and a half hour drive to often. A moved to Florida and we still talk often.  They are planning on moving back and I can't wait!  Now J has moved to Massachusetts but it is closer than I thought-only about four hours away.  Now we have an excuse to visit Boston.

Today, we are doing our Thanksgiving cards so we can get them in the mail.  What are we thankful for?  Good friends and an endless supply of laughs, love, good times, and unending support. With phones, airplanes, Facebook, and all those other things that make our lives easier and able to stay connected those miles are pretty insignificant.