Shelley and I wondered about how our family would be affected by this trip. We wondered if the kids would be able to adjust to a new life. Well, here we are at the halfway point and the kids, after a sluggish start have come right. An unintended consequence of our journey has been the time we have had to just "be" with one another. I am not sure what is so different as we are increasingly busy here with friends and school and sports just like at home but I guess because we are the "only ones here" and have a little bit of a "we are all in it together" mentality I see a more open and obvious closeness now. I smile as I watch my sons interact with one another. We look forward to watching a TV show together or playing a game of "Hearts". There are giggles and laughter between a 15, 11 and 8 year old. I am reminded of those nature shows where the great apes are grooming each other as my kids pick through Shelley's hair looking for nits (yes we all got lice except for me! a silver lining to having a shaved head). Eli, the teenager, actually seems to enjoy his family. Of course if asked, he would rather be off with his friends doing other things but being stuck here with us he has embraced this rather than being moody and sulking about it. We spend days at the beach, building forts, collecting bones and fishing for kahawai.
Maybe its not them, maybe its me, me having the time to reflect on these moments as they happen, realizing they will be short lived, and soon relegated to imperfect memories. It has been really really nice to have this time together, I wonder what it will all look and feel like years from now when we think about our time here....
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