Reaching for the Sun

It's not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself.    ~Joyce Maynard


I am so excited and glad that we are getting the opportunity to live in Europe for a few years.  J#1 is able to do a job that he enjoys and get international experience on the business front.   Plus, we as a family get to see and experience so much that we probably couldn't have living in the U.S.  Since we have made a pretty substantial move in the past (to New Jersey from Minnesota), the decision to make our current move wasn't as "scary" as it could have been.  Don't get me wrong, things haven't always been easy.  But the benefits of living abroad just about weigh out the cons. 

J#3 checking out our plane to the Netherlands

Our children are too young right now to realize that they are having a very unique experience.  As they get older I am hoping that they are going to look back at this time and realize that their parents were "reaching for the sun" and they won't hesitate to do the same.  

J#3 walking the streets of Brugges, Belgium

So, when I am having a tired or lazy day, I need to remind myself to "reach for the sun".   Because those little eyes are watching (and often mimicking) my every move.