It was a period of great upset for Brenna. She was still very much in the early stages of mourning the loss of Kathy, her Bubbie, and then she was uprooted from her home, school, her friends, and Liz (the best friend and next door neighbor that a girl could ever have). I remember being so worried about her those first few weeks. We worried about how she would adjust; how she would like her new school and her new friends.
As I look back on this time, I am amazed at how well Brenna, and the rest of us adjusted. It did not happen right away, of course, but it has happened. I think in a way it was easier than I thought it would be for the kids. They had school and were fortunate to find some new friends there from the start. Lucky for me, they made some good decisions early on, and I have become friends with a number of the classmates' parents. As they got more involved, we met more people through dance, soccer, hockey and their other activities.
And now, two years later, I can honestly say that I feel at home here in Plymouth. I feel like we are finally all in a groove now. The kids have a lot of nice friends and they truly enjoy school and their sports, etc. After 2 1/2 years on the job, Todd has settled in nicely. He still works long hours, and travels quite a bit, but he seems to be really enjoying it now. And that, after all, is a big reason why we moved.
I have been lucky to have found a lot of nice friends up here too. It is weird when you move some place and you have no friends. It takes awhile to make friends, to find people with commons interests. It is also a bit strange to be put in this position at this stage in my life. I have not been in such a circumstance since I was in middle school and moved from Maryland to Austria. And, I think it was a bit easier then since I was so young.
As I reflect on our current situation, I am aware that I have been very fortunate. It took some time, but I have made a lot of really nice friends since moving here. So many people have welcomed us into their lives, introduced us to friends and family. And for that, I am truly thankful.
Now don't get me wrong, I still miss my friends and family in Maryland. I find myself referring to Plymouth as "home" when I am visiting Maryland, and Maryland as "home" when I am here. (I try not to do that around the kids too much as it is a bit confusing for them sometimes.) Moving away from Maryland has, to no surprise, made me even more aware of the lasting friendships that we have with many of our friends. I am not, nor have I even been, the best corespondent. (In fact, that is one of the reasons that I started this blog. I wanted to try and stay in touch a little more. Odd, though as it is a bit one-sided. :) But for now, it works for me.) Even so, I find that I can pick up the phone, or shoot an e-mail off to one of my friends that I have not seen or talked to in ages, and it is like we were just together yesterday. We have been lucky to see many of our friends on our various trips home. (And some have come to visit.) While I think of many of these people often, I have not been as good about calling or writing as I would like to be. But, when we see each other, even if it is only once a year or two, it is still very comfortable and we easily fall back into conversations and catch up. I believe that this is one of the characteristics of a true friendship. And we are lucky to have a number of friends like this.
OK, I am done being sentimental. I just felt as though this was a good time to reflect. To all of our new friends, thank you for welcoming us to Massachusetts. We feel at home here, and you are certainly a big part of that. And to all of our friends from back home (Maryland, Virginia, etc.) thanks for being there. Know that we miss you all, and think of you often. And despite this geographical change, we are so glad that you are all still a part of our lives!
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