Talk about Baggage

Gotta be honest, on the day of our departure my greatest challenge wasn’t luggage so much as emotional baggage. In my head I knew that I needed to focus on packing, but my heart was distracted by so many recent images of grief and loss…. Pam, Dawn, Greg…cousin Elaine…“We are Barths”… Pepere’s brother…. Jamie and Irene’s mother (in-law)… While I was eager to take a break from the recent string of funerals, I was very heavy hearted about leaving Crowes while John Crowe was still in the hospital… and very emotional about leaving the two (teenage) people whom I love most in the world. I cried and packed and cried and planned. By the time we hugged the kids goodbye, both Mike and I were reduced to tears. As hard as it was to leave, we knew that we had to forge ahead – to move toward the unknown and amazing adventure that has been beckoning to us for months.