We Have Each Other

With three weeks to prepare for our departure, I'm taking inventory of what Ava and I will both need for the next 3 months.  It's exciting to think of our next adventure, and I get so happy thinking of seeing all my Italian friends and adopted family again!  I am searching for new art exhibits that will be on display during our time in Firenze, wanting to find new places to discover with Ava and fun activities for us to do together when she isn't in school. But deep in my heart, I am also trying to prepare for the big change she and I will be experiencing again.  We've been settled in Alaska for 7 months, and it's always a struggle to pack up and move, let alone move to another country with a different language and customs.  In a way, I love that Ava and I have been able to see so many new places, and meet new people.  On the other hand, it is tricky not having any roots in one area.  She and I don't have much in this world...we really just have each other and our suitcases as we move from here to there and everywhere.  And I don't think we'd be able to do it any other way, except by having one another...



I found this song the other day, and it made me realize how much she and I need each other as we transition yet again.  The few weeks leading up to our moves, Ava recognizes change is on it's way.  She will get a little more clingy, needing more attention and affection.  Sometimes her sleep becomes disrupted, and I find her in my bed early in the morning, needing my arms around her as a comfort.  Change can be intimidating to anyone, let alone a 4 year old, and I won't deny that it's hard for her to say goodbye to people so often.  But in all the times we have relocated, Ava is my little side-kick who accepts our vagrant lifestyle, taking it in stride with the grace not many adults could even grasp.  I thank God that he has blessed me with the most amazing little girl who has an excitement and curiosity for life. She can be a little timid in new situations, but usually after 5 minutes she's ready to explore a new environment as twenty questions pop into her head, wanting to know and understand everything around her.  I love that about her.  And so, when she wakes up at 2am in Italy from our crazy jetlag and 10 hour difference in timezones, I can sing her this song...