3-year anniversary

Though we returned from Kansas a week ago tomorrow, it's taken me a lot longer to "get back to life" here at home than I anticipated. I spent a couple days exhausted, and was completely obsessed for the first couple days with "settling" all things MeeMaw-related. This included unpacking the things I had shipped from her house to mine (mostly cosmetic jewelry and other very MeeMaw things), and creating a binder of ALL the letters I have sent to her since high school, all of which we found in MeeMaw's house. So strange to see my life in my own words, a chronicle of time....this was a particular gift that MeeMaw left to me.

There were other gifts, too, and it seems every day since I've returned home I've realized a new one. Time to spend re-connecting with family, including long-lost relatives in Kansas. A renewed relationship with my youngest sister. A time to re-connect with our sons after a too-commercialized and money-crazed previous week in Orlando. Some reminders about what Jason and I value, and some lengthy discussions since our time there about whether we are really livng out those values, and how that can happen in a very un-Kansas world like Lynn (how DOES a person model simplicity, or balance, or intention, or neighbor love, here?). Even in her death, MeeMaw gave to me. I miss her.

So we spent much of our weekend trying to slow down and be HOME. Saturday was actually the 3-year anniversary of our sons' homecoming, their adoption anniversary! We spent the day at the beach, and took the boys out for supper, and observed other traditions, such as reading the photo album/story of their homecoming that I had created for them years ago. Mostly I feel like, it's ONLY been 3 years?! When has my life NOT included Orilus and Jackson? But then when I read writing from back then (such as the letters I wrote to MeeMaw during the first very difficult months of their adjustment), I remember how far we have come. I feel very grateful.

This week we're continuing to collect our bearings...finally went grocery shopping, and still have yet to clean our house since ??? ...and beginning the rhythms of back-to-school (I'm doing some teacher training this week, and we're helping the boys to complete summer reading projects, and filling out school paperwork). Familiar rhythms, and yet the fact that we have done this--ALL prepared for a September start of school--only ONCE in 3 previous school-year starts, is meaningful. The boys are home, and adjusted. And they are healthy. And for only the second time, we are all ready to begin at the beginning of a school year.

Just got home moments ago from a bike ride with the boys, and as we biked the length of Nahant Beach, I thought, "here is what we did not have last summer...freedom." It's been JOY to explore the world this summer, but mostly it's been joy to see Oriluls and Jackson living a summer as boys should--free of central lines, and medications, and restrictions.

We all begin school on Tuesday, and we do so with thankful and happy hearts.

Happy 3-year (and countless life experiences) anniversary to Team Winchell.