When you have those young children in your life and you see them grow up it makes you as a parent feel so proud. I can still look back and remember the birth of my children, Thomas and Leonor. I remember their first day of school and all those years of Brownies, Cub Scouts, Little League, Majorettes, School Band.
I sit here and smile at those memories. I remember my daughter being the Drum Major of the marching band her last year in high school. I remember my son taking a tour of Europe with a world band.
They grow up and leave home and it gives a parent an empty feeling. The home feels empty, but you realize that they have grown up and have to leave the nest to be out on their own. They are now on their own and you think well we don't have to worry about them anymore. That is about the dumbest feeling a parent can
have. You will never stop worrying no matter how old they get.
Thomas joined the Marine Corps at an early age. He spent 20 years serving his country and served three tours of duty in Iraq. Leonor went to college and she knew from a little girl that art was her desire in life.
She is an artist/graphic designer. Her sketches and paintings make me as a parent feel so proud of what she can do. She also teaches art classes.
A couple of years ago our daughter moved to Raleigh, NC and we only got to see her and our youngest granddaughter a couple of times a year. My wife and I decided that we wanted to be closer to them so we moved to Raleigh a couple of years ago. Now we get to see them often.
Our son retired from the Marine Corps while serving in Okinawa. He decided that Okinawa was where he wanted to live with his family. It gave my wife and I a hurt feeling, but we knew that he had to live his life as he wanted to. Okinawa is half way around the world, so the time we didn't get to see him, his wife, and our grand children turned to months and then years. It has been a long time and Lina and I hope that they will return to the US to live. We are getting older in years and we want to spend time with them.
Recently our son had an operation while living in Okinawa. There was complications and he had to go back in the hospital. His condition became worse and my wife and I could only be with him by email, phone, and facebook. His condition became urgent and he was flown to an Army hospital in Hawaii. Still to far for two people living on Social Security to travel. He is under good care and his condition is improving. Tom remains in our thoughts and prayers every day. We love him so much and wish we were there to hug him, hold his hand and tell him how much we love him. His wife and our youngest grandson are doing that now.
He will be having another operation sometime next month and we pray that everything will be fine. Lina and I hope that maybe him and his family will return to the US in the not to distant future. It is tough having them so far away, especially when problems occur. We would like to have those family trips, picnics, family dinners during the holidays again, and I would love to go fishing with Tom again. We had so much fun fishing and it is a dream that I hold onto that it will happen again. My wife will be 70 in a few months and I am on the road to 67 this September.
Yes, it is tough when they live so far away, but we do realize that they have their own lives to live.
Copyright Larry W. Fish 2015
I can understand the empty feeling we get when our kids grow up and leave the nest; even if it only an hour away. It must be so hard to have Thomas so far away especially since he is having health issues. I too hope that someday he and his family move closer to you. I also hope that his he gets stronger every day.
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