Once again, words of wisdom from my parents have come full circle. As a child. I moved across the country and back, from east to west back east and then down south. Each move brought new friends and new experiences, but also a new heartache as old friends were left behind. My parents told me, though, I can never go back. Not that we can't visit, but things will never be the same and people are never the same as how they were when we left.
Larry and the girls are Seneca natives. The move to China was difficult enough on me, but I had some inkling as to some of the pains of relocation. We've definitely had some transitional issues, but all in all, I think we've fared well. All of us were eagerly anticipating our trip back to the U.S. Unfortunately, Larry was granted only a week's vacation due to the plant's scheduled (hahahhahaha....breath...hahahaha) opening in August. What we didn't anticipate was that how life goes on despite our absence.
My parents' wise words resonated with Larry, as he returned to Seneca last week. He visited his daughter and new granddaughter, who is now three and half months old. He also stopped by to see his golf buddies and played a round with them. Driving through town, he spotted some old friends having a party in their backyard, but he didn't stop. I think it hit him that folks were having a good time, a good time without us. Even though he'd spent his entire life in Seneca, the town has managed to survive without him. I'm not trying to be harsh, but it's a tough pill to swallow when you realize the world doesn't revolve around you. He said to me, "Everyone seems different, I don't see us moving back there."
It's hard to say where the change has occured, but given the past year's experiences, I'll say our views have definitely expanded.
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