Although I may be counting down the days, and there are many things I will not miss when Little Guy stops going to school 65 miles away, I am aware that there are many things I will miss.
It may be commuting, but it's also community!
I will miss the morning & afternoon (hurried) catching up with the other two moms. Who else in the world truly "gets" this crazy life and is living the hearing loss journey with us?!?
I will miss the opportunity to serve by driving carpool once a week, switching car seats, etc. At this point, I'm not sure any of us will remember who owns which car seat when it comes time to "settle accounts." On a related note ...
I will miss the treasure (rare in the U.S. in my experience) of living out Acts 2.44 (All the believers were together and had everything in common).
- My van is the Lord's. Would your son like to ride in it?
- My time is the Lord's. Can I drive your child and save you hours every day?
- Oh, your son needs some Tylenol and you're 65 miles away? I'll run some over to the school.
- Oh, your other child/-ren need someone to drop them off at day camp or a friend's house or wherever since their school is out for the summer, but our boys are in an 11-month school? Sure! Where do I take them?
- Oh, your son doesn't have a lunch today? No problem. I'll pick up a Lunchable and take it to school after I drop them off.
- I have access to a house near the school. Here's a key so you can rest and have a home base on days you drive carpool.
I'll miss that close daily encounter with a friend who says, "It all belongs to the Lord. What can I share with you today?"
I will miss the interdependence and the texts that say, "Can you drive next Friday?" and the freedom to say, "no." In our (at least my) American life, everyone lives independently.
I will miss the morning & afternoon interactions with the teachers on days I drive. Little Miss will miss them, too. She knows them by name, and greets them eagerly! When they are standing outside the van helping little boys out, and I'm standing stooped over in the middle of the van, helping unbuckle 3rd row boys, LM tries to push me out of the way, yelling, "See! See!" She wants to see the teachers. :)
I will miss seeing the two adorable boys who share our car pool. I will miss our conversations and also seeing (hearing!) their LSL (listening & spoken language) progress.
I will miss afternoon car line and getting out and chatting with the grandma ahead of me or the mom behind me. I will miss seeing how classmates' little siblings are growing up.
My goodness! I'll even miss out on random parking lot conversations with one of the coffee club that meets at our carpool meeting spot!
I will miss the school. Oh, so many things about the school! The 1:1 ratio is amazing. The can-do spirit. The morale, such that each one genuinely acts as if they have the best job in the world. The way they don't mind changing the whole school schedule so that one particular child can be better supported & thrive (and they regularly do that!). The philosophy that, even if a child is deaf, they can learn to listen and speak. The miracles God works there! The way they go over and above for everything!
I will miss hanging out in that city on days I drive. I have thoroughly enjoyed my hobby of learning my way around a new place. I've checked out a few restaurants (although I tend to eat protein packs from the grocery store or cheap drive-thru). Little Miss & I have made memories, exploring parks, libraries, indoor playgrounds, etc. We started making those memories when she was 7 months old and she was in the infant carrier, or lying flat in the stroller! She has grown up there! I know where to find a good cup of hot tea. :) Discovering the flexible, on-demand licensed childcare was a game-changer, and I will miss it, although our season of needing it will be drawing to a close. I'm more familiar with the layout of Target, Sam's, etc. in that city than I am with the ones in our nearest city. I will miss the children's consignment store, the two really good Goodwills, the convenient shopping district, the mall that still has department stores (!), the used book store that supports orphan care, and more!
Even my Facebook feed will look different, as I will stop following a dozen Facebook pages related to that city ... parks & rec, library, news, childcare, etc.
Every gain has a loss, and this gain will have many losses. I've learned that it's helpful for me to name them, in order to process well.
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