From Irvine, we flew to Durango and drove down to New Mexico to spend time with Rachel and the grandchildren.
Much of the visit was simply being together. Making and sharing dinners, watching the kids, and helping with projects that were important to Rachel. With four children, it’s hard to make progress on much of anything. Having a couple of extra adults around gave her some room to move things forward.
We enjoyed being useful. Both of our fathers helped us considerably when we were raising our children. Now we get to do some of that for Rachel.
The work and the time together were often the same thing. We could enjoy their company while cooking, cleaning, or working in the yard. The kids could be part of it too. It felt good to spend some time doing life together.
We also wore ourselves out a little. We worked hard and stayed late, trying to fit in what we could before leaving. Shirley caught a cold, probably from one of the kids, which didn’t help.
At one point she thought the visit felt long. By the time we left, she wasn’t ready to go. We were both a bit sad to be leaving.
Next time, we need to pace ourselves better and allow some recovery time before heading into another trip. But we were glad to have been there—with Rachel and the kids, sharing everyday life and helping where we could.
