Across the Divide at last!

 

Several weeks ago I was out somewhere and had a distinct thought come into my mind.

"I've finally crossed the continental divide."

When I went home and shared that thought with Russ he laughed and said "You did that almost 3 years ago!"

"Physically I did," I agreed, "but mentally & emotionally it's been a much more recent event."

 

I've been thinking about it off and on since then, trying to analyze where this thought came from and what exactly it meant.  If I remember it came on a sunny day, which we've thankfully had a lot of this winter.  (And last winter, but our first winter here seemed almost unbearably gloomy.)  I think it came the week after we'd had Kate here to babysit and I was still enjoying the memories of getting to spend so much time with her and thinking about what a blessing it's been to be closer (than North Carolina) to them.  And I'm pretty sure it was right after I dropped my kids off at school, which has been such a good experience for them.

I've wondered if I'm just weak for taking so long to acclimate emotionally but today I read an interesting comment on a random blog:
"  At some point after an event causing great pain, e.g., a divorce or the death of a parent, we need to be able to get on with it. Some research, from several decades back, indicates that the length of time that this takes for most people on average, is about three years. "

So maybe I'm just really normal.  (It would be nice to think that, wouldn't it?)  Whatever the explanation, and however much I will always love and miss North Carolina, I'm almost unbearably grateful to feel this transition within me.  To have more peace and less heartache in my life here.  To be starting to feel a part of things.  To see my children thriving.  

Thank goodness for the passage of these 3 years...