Wednesday, August 11, 2010

On the Move Again - This Time to Texas

Dad and I moved out of his long-time home last December as I wrote about a few months ago. Now, we are gearing up for a move to the lower SE of the Coastal Bend of Texas - near Corpus Christi. Quite a move for a couple of seniors - one who is now 87-years-old. We have our Penske truck on reserve and are just needing to find a home where we can land.

We are need there to help care for another family member. Sounds like I went from long-time work in hospitals to a new field of care giving. Unfortunately, when I worked in hospitals I was in the admin field, not working as a nurse. Thankfully, my daughter in TX is an RN and will be of great help in that area. My role will be more of a driver/babysitter type role for my 3-year-old grandson.

Those of you who follow this blog have seen his picture on the sidebar and in a couple of the posts. Our David is growing up quickly and we are excited about having a chance to spend more time with him.

Even Dad, who did not want to leave Michigan, is now on board with the move and looking forward to spending time with his great-grandson.

Along the way, we will stop in the St. Louis, MO (Illinois side) to visit my brother and his family and see his new home. Dad is excited about that as well.

Part of getting Dad on board the move has been focusing on the positives and not the negatives. At first he considered moving into a nursing home rather than going with me, but he eventually realized there wouldn't be anyone visiting him, he would be in a much smaller location with very few of his personal items with him, and that he would be much better off going to TX with me. Thank you, Lord!

As our trip progresses, I hope to stay in touch through this blog to let everyone know how we are doing, where we are at, and what sights we get to see.

I'm proud of Dad for being able to change gears this late in life. Although moving to an island off the coast of Texas is not his first choice for the rest of his life, he is gamely stepping up to the plate. What a guy!

If you have moved an elder across country recently, please let me know what worked or did not work for you. I would love to have you share your experience.