Long Distance Realtionships

A good friend told me today that she is moving to Egypt in December which, of course, made me sad.  But, it also made me reflect for a moment on my own life.  Both she and her husband are in the hospitality industry and, as such, expect to be moving every few years.  When Mr A and I moved to Hawaii, we really intended for this to be our last major move.  We committed to raising our family here and, with the exception of possibly moving to Oahu at some point, have no intention of going anywhere else.  This move was not a temporary thing.

I always joke that it was either here or Wisconsin and that I could adjust more easily to paradise than Mr A could to the Midwest.  Sometimes I question our decision.  I am far away from my family, which is hard - both emotionally and financially since I think it's necessary to travel and be with them at least once or twice a year.  We don't have any family here.  We have friends, but it's not the same.  I wonder if I can really live the rest of my life feeling so isolated.

But then I see my kids enjoying their life here.  I see the community we are a part of.  I see how accessible their culture is here.  I know that my family will always be there for the boys and that we will all work together to make sure they know and understand their roots - their mainland roots.  I know that my parents will welcome them in during summer vacation so they can go to CYO camp and do other activities that were significant to me growing up.  I don't think they would have that kind of a relationship with Hawaii if we weren't living here.  I don't think they could understand it with the same depth if they were learning it vicariously through their dad.

So maybe the irony is that because I have such a close knit family, we are able to live great distances apart.

It was strange listening to my friend talk about her upcoming move and realizing that I am where I am...at least for now.