9 more days: still packing the house

Yesterday I turned the corner and though there is an unbelievable amount left to do, I can see now that it will be possible to do it.   I used to do project management type work where we'd set up a team to do a task that others said was impossible in the available timeframe.  It was exciting and challenging and sometimes I wondered whether we'd be able to pull it off myself.  But there was always a point where enough of the data gelled, enough of the teammates responded, enough of the pieces clicked into place where I knew that it was going to work.  That's what happened at home yesterday.  Even though my own bedroom floor is ninety percent covered in boxes, bins and piles and LiLi's bedroom is almost as bad.  Even though I literally cannot walk in my home office.  Even though we have barely begun to pack the main floor and the basement is not yet prepared to receive all the stuff.  I can tell now that we will finish this task.  Nine more days.

LiLi is going to school four days this week so I have the childcare coverage for all of my appointments (accountant; dentist; realtor; tenant family).  Plus, this is the week of goodbyes.  Some of the families at her school are doing a get-together for us on Tuesday after LiLi's last math club.  Other friends came to help pack this weekend (a measure of friendship being: what level of my own hoarding will I allow this person to see? turns out I showed all), others stopped by just to give us hugs.  Both teachers talked about doing goodbye parties in the classrooms this week.

It's bittersweet.  I am certain that this move to BJ is the right thing for LiLi and for me at this point in our lives and yet some people are painfully difficult to leave.   We spent last night's bedtime story time talking through the 'missing' feelings.  Heart-breaking at age 8.  Only somewhat less so in middle age.  Still, she's young enough to feel that as long as we have each other we can go anywhere and do anything.  A couple more years and it would be too late for this type of adventure.  (As it is, I'm thankful that we are not trying to leave in the middle of soccer season.  Dragging her away from her teammates might prove impossible.)  As we embark on this final push, we're doing so with hearts wide open, gratitude flowing, and about 100 more boxes waiting to be filled.