Getting Real With Shadra Bruce
If you haven’t guessed yet, we are pretty comfortable with change and upheaval. We have taught our children to confidently live their own lives, and we’ve done so through example. If there was something we wanted, we went for it. Of course, it was always within reason and the understanding that our children are our priority. But that doesn’t mean we forgot our own passions.
We made the decision to make our fourth cross-country move to Utah, which has been a great move for us. We are closer to my sister and other beloved family and we love the area. We are even a little bit closer to Derek, who is in Texas . On the other hand, we are much farther from Kira, who is in New York and will be relocating to Virginia.
Yes, Dave and I are sad that we aren’t closer to our oldest children. But we were never meant to be landlocked. We raised our children to embrace different paths and they are doing just that. Not only that, but we are pursuing our own dreams as individuals and not just as parents. Parker and Anika swear that they’ll live with us forever, but we doubt those feelings will last. And although we love Utah, it’s most likely not our last stop.
We’re proud of Derek for joining the Army and choosing a life that was right for him even if it took him away from us. We’re proud of Kira for moving to New York City on her own to pursue her dreams and to continue chasing those dreams wherever they take her. Just because there are miles between all of us doesn’t mean we’re not still a close-knit family who celebrates each others’ adventures. And we’re glad our kids have learned from us that you’re never too old to start a new adventure.
We can’t base our lives on those of our children. Our doors are always open for our children and the plane ticket is paid for when they say the word (until they’re fully employed at least). Sure, it would be nice to be close to everyone, but someone would be limited. Where’s the adventure in that?
