My kids are spread out across the country at this stage of our family life. It's actually not all bad because they're living in pretty cool cities that I would have otherwise never had the opportunity to know. More importantly, by visiting each of them in their individual environments, I, myself, am removed from the daily distractions of my familiar routine, which frees me to relax. It's such a luxury to have extended time to focus on the close moments between you and your child. In the less hectic minutes and hours I can feel strong connections being made, often silently, as I have the opportunity to observe my grown children building their adult lives. Watching them and reflecting on my own life, I remind myself that it's a process.
