Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldn't work. Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I know what I need. I need more hellos. ~Charles M. Schulz


How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.
~Carol Sobieski and Thomas Meehan, Annie

Saying goodbye is one of my most unfavorite things to do. It's a strange place for me to be. I've had to say goodbye many times before but this time is different. This time I am sad to be leaving the people that I am saying goobye to, this time I am sad to be leaving my tasks, this time is different because I'm happy where I am and I am not leaving to change an unsatisfactory situation.

I am saying goodbye to a pleasant, successful part of my life and saying hello to an exciting start to the next phase of my life. I think I am able to leave with the peace and knowledge that I am leaving this place to go to a place that is going to be my home.

See, I've been homeless for many years. When I moved away from my parents' home at age 18, I was without a home. At that time I didn't feel that even their home was my home any longer. I have always been sure to find dwellings that resembled a close-to-home feeling, but nothing ever was truly my home. It wasn't until I met Chris that almost instantly I was able to refer to my parents' home as my home again. I haven't looked into the psychobabble explanation of my reasonings but I can't deny the correlation of re-defining home with meeting Chris.

Chris and I have created our little family, and even created a mini-home in our Lafayette apartment but it hasn't felt complete. We have used this time to grow, learn, and strengthen us, our marriage, our individual selves, and I have to admit that I am pretty darn proud of us. We have weathered several storms but we are stronger and more in love because of it. We are where we both want to be and not simply because it turned out that way, but because we committed and worked through some of the most difficult times of our lives to be where we are today.

We are only able to make this big change because of where we are today.

We are ready to be home.