I Am A Mover - The Journey to Acton

They say….”Life is a journey, not a destination.” Sometimes, when you are on the road, looking ahead to the future, what you see is a fog bank.  You move forward, enter it, and feel lost.  You don’t know what lies within it.  It can be scary!  But, usually, if you look into your rear view mirror, to where you have been, you can see that you were always on a path.  One life event led to another, and then to another, and here you are…in your present.  And you are doing fine!

This past weekend, we participated in my oldest son, Joe’s, journey.  A little over a month ago, he entered a fog bank.  Thanks to the economy and the changes in his industry, Joe’s job went away.  He faced the future, not knowing how he should proceed nor what he would encounter.  After great thought and discussion with significant people in his life, he made a choice.  He saw an opportunity to enter a new door, to pursue something that seemed very core to who he is.  

Joe is a writer.  All his life he has had an innate ability to connect with himself and with the world through words and his ability to place those words on paper.  Though the work that paid his rent was not involved with writing, he found other outlets for his talent through freelance work, blogging, writing song lyrics.  He eventually “certified” his talent by earning a degree in Journalism.  Now, life had detached all the “ties that bind” and was offering him an opportunity to try to join his livelihood with his talent and passion.  With his close friend, Drew, Joe has some irons in the fire and to facilitate these projects, he decided to leave the San Diego, where he has lived for the past 17 years, and start anew in the small town three hours distance up the state called Acton.

This weekend was the move and Jay and I drove to San Diego Friday night to assist him with the logistics of getting his car, a UHaul filled with all his worldly goods and his two dogs to his new home.  I was so impressed with how organized and smoothly everything went.  Joe also writes To-do lists.  Everything was anticipated and accomplished. 

Load truck, check. 

Joe had loaded the entire truck himself!

Write out directions for Mom and Jay, check. 

Say good-by to neighbors, check.  

Joy walks this street everyday and she wished him luck!

Spend last evening with friends, check.

Joe with two of the many friends that turned out to wish him luck!

Joe walking with Princess Kayia, who dressed up especially for the party!

We drove in a caravan, following the route that Joe had mapped out, stopping once for the weight station and once for some nourishment,

Jay and Joe enjoying their subs...one Italian and one Veggie!

and eventually pulled into his new home. 

Joe has a 2 bedroom second floor condo.

The apartment looked perfect and the absence of the city sounds created an atmosphere of calm.

Joe seemed right at home surrounded by the beautiful high desert and 

On his balcony surrounded by the mountains of the high desert!

The dogs were excited at room to run.  

My second son, Michael, joined us from LA to help his brother with the muscle work and we quickly had the truck emptied.

Jay, Joe and Michael discussing the strategy!

On the way home I reflected on my role as mother.  It is not easy to detach in a healthy way from your children.  I want a future of happiness for each one of them.  But I know that I cannot be the one to provide it.  I let go and give them their life.  And every once in a while they give me that most precious gift, of allowing me to share in their life…even if it is only driving the sweep vehicle in the caravan and carrying the light weight boxes into the new house. 

So, I stand in the wings and wish them well as I watch them enter the fog bank, with my heart caught in my throat, trusting that they are remaining on that path that is their life’s journey.  That they are right where they are supposed to be.

  Good luck, Joe, on this next chapter.