Jake was 2 and John was 8 when we moved to Minneapolis. It was in October of 2004. The leaves were falling, a phenomenon not usually experienced in Dallas. And I learned what MEA was, at the time, a WHOLE week out of school. Really?
John was working in his new position and I was adjusting to a different life. How many times did I get lost trying to get to the house? The lakes here don’t give you much of a straight line path, anywhere.
I remember being so impressed that the principal of John’s elementary school had called us while still in Dallas to welcome John into the community. Jake attended Montessori in Chaska and the neighbors thought I was crazy to drive THAT far for school. What did I know? In Dallas – you drive… a lot!
Little did I know that these neighbors would selflessly support me through one of the toughest experiences of my life. They cared for me, my family and John in a way that I never could have imagined in those early days. I will forever be indebted to them.
As I look back, those early days in MN were a sweet time. We enjoyed the experience of a new home, new schools, new neighbors, and a change of seasons.
Day 28, we are once again learning. This time it’s about how we’re becoming a whole new type of family.