For those who have been following our journey this last year or so, you know the the Evans are moving back to Colorado. Our house is slated to close in the next week, we’ll be packing up the U-Haul and moving back to our ‘home’ state and a place that also holds family and memories.
And yet… how do you say Goodbye to a life and memories of the past 30 years?
As I write this, my eyes are full of tears and my heart has those dual emotions of sadness and excitement.
So many events! Our kids were raised here. Our daughter was born here. We dealt with infertility and the joys of new birth. Our marriage went through it’s ups and downs AND grew stronger. Individually we have grown in ways we couldn’t even anticipate when we first moved here. As a family, we’ve laughed, cried, had some moments/responses we’re not proud of, so many adventures (camping, events with friends, the famous ‘steak dinners at the Evans', fishing, hiking, events at/on the ocean, family events, date nights, and really too many memories to name). We’ve had the growth of being imperfect parents and watching our children grow into amazing adults despite our shortcomings, friendships that will last through wherever life takes all of us and so much, much more.
We bought and are selling our 1st home.
We grew in our careers and started businesses.
We have grown spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. We’ve learned much about ourselves, our limitations, our strengths and needing our community. We have experienced so many firsts and so many milestones.
We’ve experienced some of the lowest lows and the highest highs. We’ve learned deep lessons in grace, forgiveness and love, especially for ourselves.
And as I write this, it’s become clear - this is a love letter to myself. A time to let go of the ‘bad’ so to speak and hold tight to the abundance of good. A time of gratitude for all we’ve gone through, knowing that it’s in the struggle of becoming that we find the greatest joys. At those moments we feel are our worst failures, we find grace, peace, understanding, surrender and great strength.
And so we say goodbye. Not forever, but for this time. Our memories will be the fuel that help us say hello to another chapter in our book, our story. There is an anticipation of experiencing all we have in the past 30 years at a new level and at a new place. It’s the continual process of taking what we’ve learned and building higher and deeper in every area of our lives, that fills us with hope and a new joy.
Hello to Colorado, hello again to old friendships and family relationships we’ll renew with vigor and depth, hello to the new ways we will grow individually, hello to a new house, a new city, new friends and new adventures.
As you read this, wherever you are saying goodbye and hello to, I pray you find peace with the old and faith for the new.
Goodbye California, thank you for everything you’ve taught us.
Hello to the next part of our adventure and story!
Traci Evans
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