Coming Home Again

My daughter brought her air plants to Ohio but had to leave all her potted babies at home; my sister-in-law graciously provided the first specimen to her new collection. 

Thirty plus years ago, my husband and I pulled up our Midwestern tent stakes and moved across the country to Seattle. In doing so, we left our extended families several thousand miles behind and consigned ourselves to a life where visiting relatives was a both a rare luxury and an arduous journey.

So imagine how mind-blowing it has been for me to find myself here in the Buckeye State, just two hours away from my husband’s sister and her family in Cleveland, and a mere forty-five minutes from his cousin in the central Ohio cornfields.

My rental car and I had a busy weekend zooming around the state and dropping in on these relatives, just like most normal people do alll the time. The folks are glad to hear of my daughter’s new Buckeye status and are happy to help her however they can.

I feel much better about leaving my second-born here in a place where our kinfolk are just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Though we will continue to anchor our family in our beloved Pacific Northwesr, in a way, this new adventure for my daughter feels like we are all coming home again.