Who Will Wake Me Up When They Go?

For the past seven years I’ve lived with a family consisting of two small children and two adults. In the morning when I get up, the sounds of the youngsters playing, fighting or screeching for their mom was what woke me up. Even though I am now ready to see them settle into their own house, it is these morning memories that I will miss.

At the end of this month, the family will move to their own fixer-upper house in Deerfield, near the Deerfield River and the Pam-Am Train yard. The house was a great deal, and even though there are projects to do, it’s a fantastic opportunity for a young couple. There will be enough room for chicken coops and a big garden. The location is only half a mile from the Franklin County bikeway, a beautiful trail that goes to Turners Falls through woods and by a canal.

My morning routine will be quiet, it won’t begin with the fighting kids, won’t involve watching them eat just part of their breakfasts, and won’t involve watching Sofie while Kate runs Nathan to school. My routine will be more like most people my age….quiet, more solitary and more, well, normal.

I can’t wait to have this house to share with just Mary, who will make her move soon. There will be moments of loneliness, moments of sadness and missing those voices. But it’s time for change, and usually, change is good.