changing

Change is happening amongst me, my family, my friends. Life is all about change, it's up to us in how we will accept and embrace it. I just can't help but feel unsettled by it all.
I have ideas. I feel hopeful for this summer and our move to a new community. I feel hopeful that there are things that I can focus my energy on. Projects, ideas to keep me inspired and motivated.
Spring/Summer is here in the Yukon (finally). It isn't exactly hot by any means, but we can count on mostly sunny days and the sun feels warm on our skin. I feel alive in the summertime, especially here in the Yukon. The winter slowed me down this year. It brought me down actually. Yes, that's a better way of putting it, but now that the summer is here, I feel rejuvenated.
My camera is out. I am taking more pictures.  I am inspired by my surroundings. The world outside feels alive once again.
My children run in and out of the house, we spend time in our backyard and at the park, just being outside. The neighbours congregate on their lawns, chatting about neighbourhood news and other things. The sun is bright and up until well past 11pm. Summer is here.
We received the news that our good friends (the Nimans) are leaving the Yukon for good. We knew this was coming, it's been a long time coming actually. The move itself was kind of sprung upon us though, and we are now facing the fact that we will have to say our final Yukon goodbyes this weekend. I don't know where to begin.
Sarah for me has been more than just a friend while we've lived up here. She has become like family to me (so has her family). We've celebrated new babies together, we've grieved losses together, we've shared Thanksgivings and Christmases and Easters together. We've gone on adventures together in the summer and we've hunkered down for long winters together. We've cheered each other on during highs in our lives, and we've comforted each other during lows.
This is part of the RCMP lifestyle. We move every few years and with that we meet new friends and say farewell to the ones we've made. It really is a blessing when you think about how we gain these friends, because really we never do lose them. We may have to say farewell, but we never lose our friends.
There is a glimmer of hope through this all though. Sarah and her family will be moving to Ottawa (her hometown and mine), and we will be seeing lot's of each other when I go home to visit. This summer I will be in Ottawa for 7 weeks and so will Sarah (with her new baby) and I am so excited that I will be just a hop skip and a jump from her (literally- her family lives in the same part of town as Winslows!).
But still ... how is it that we have to say good bye to this time in our lives already?
xox