I grew up in Alaska with no extended family nearby. My mother’s family hailed from Montana and because of the expense we could only visit them every two years or so. My father’s family was really just Grandma Mary who also lived in Alaska, but since my parents were divorced, we saw her rarely. I remember being a little girl and considering how awful it must have been for my mother to only see her brother and sister every two years. I vowed it would not be so with me – that I would never go more than a month without seeing my siblings. And then, we all grew up and went our separate ways, and there was a time when it had been more than five years since I had seen my sisters! I’m frustrated by the constraints of time and money, and I suppose, prioritizing, that keeps us from the people that we love the very most in our lives.
All of this is a preface to say that I have spent a few days with my daughter Natalie and her family in Pasadena, CA. I get to see my sweet granddaughter and her good parents every few months, but it just doesn’t feel like enough. Katrina is in Utah, and Joey is in Flux, while Natalie appears to be permanently ensconced in California. I scheme away trying to think of ways to get my whole family together and I am chronically frustrated. My kids balk when I suggest they can all live with us forever, but what is a mother/grandmother to do? Solutions?
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