Gratitude

...turns what we have into enough, and more. Melody Beattie

The last eight years that I have lived here in South America have not turned out the way I imagined at the beginning. Sorting through all of my memories as I pack has been hard. Sometimes the grief I feel threatens to overwhelm me.

What I really want out of this move is a new beginning for our family, the start of new dreams. This time, we may stay in the States and not come back. And for the first time in my life, I'm okay with that.

I saw this quote on facebook, and it sums up a choice I have made, to be grateful for what these years and this country have given to me. I have two beautiful children, and I am wiser. I choose to let go of my regrets, to forgive myself, and to celebrate the fact that even though I failed at many things, I tried. I have two weeks to finish what I started, to end this part of my journey well, and to leave behind what is weighing me down. When I step off that plane onto U.S. soil, I am going to celebrate that spring has come.