Saturday, November 3, 2007

Happy Birthday, Grandma Erna!

We love you and miss you!


One of the most difficult aspects of leading the expat life is the inescapable fact that we are far from our families when they need us or we need them, most. Flying to our home country is possible but complicated and knowing when it's imperative, even more so.


This week my Grandma was very ill and in the hospital and I could not be there. While I know that my family (and my Grandma) understands this, it falls so far outside the norm of what I would do if I was back in the U.S.A, that it brought me up short.


The questions are: What should bring us immediately back? How do we decide? How would it work? Do I (or my husband) go alone? Do we bring the kids? If one of us goes back alone, how do we work out issues of childcare, home and work? Life is unpredictable. We make decisions based on information available, love, gut feelings, logistics, convenience, past experience... Some times those decisons work positively in our favor. Inevitably, there are also times in which they do not and we are forced to miss family events...both joyful and painful...that we would never imagine missing.


Our family is thankful today for my Grandma's life and health and recovery... My Grandma Erna and Grandad Dan are the most amazing people. They have always been there for me and my sisters and brother...a cornerstone of my childhood and life.


Thank you, Grandma and Grandad! And a special *Hello* from Grayce and Owen!!


Much love to all our family...


Chandra, Bob, Grayce and Owen

No comments: