Change IS inevitable...

Kim, me, and Fran

I love my sisters; they are my best friends.  I can completely let go and be myself around both of them; Kim and her "perfection" (haha) and Fran with her easy-come-easy-go attitude (only on the outside). I have the best of both worlds in my relationship with my sisters. 

My baby sister, Fran, will be leaving this week for Raleigh, NC, to pursue a career in her chosen field of study, Architecture, for which she has a degree from the School of Architecture at Mississippi State University.  Fran has had a few bumps in the road, but she has persevered.  She's always been independent, without going too far (thank goodness), and we've always been able to catch her if she felt she was going to fall. 

When Ethan came into the picture, Fran became even more inspirational to me as a friend, sister, mom, aunt, and confidante.  I knew what she was going through as a soon-to-be-mom without a spouse.  I knew her concerns and frustrations and excitement at bringing a wonderful baby into the world for the first time.  But during that time, most of all, I was inspired and encouraged as I watched her make it through, despite being a single mother, an additional two years of school and achieve a milestone in her life that I still haven't managed to accomplish! 

But even that isn't the inevitable change that I'm speaking of!  The change comes in that Fran won't be "just" two hours down the road now; she's going to be thirteen hours away from Kim and I.  We aren't going to be able to meet her halfway to get Ethan while she prepares for a big project, and we won't be able to plan an overnight road trip to visit with her this time.  It finally hit me last night that my baby sister is going to be a LONG way away from "home."  I'm going to have a hard time dealing with her and Ethan being gone.  I tend to withdraw when I know someone is going to leave me...  This time I can't!  Ethan will start kindergarten next week and I'm going to have to know how it went.  And when Fran feels like she's gonna fall, I'm just gonna have to extend my love a little bit further - it can be done!!!

Having said all that, praise God for email, Skype, unlimited nationwide calling, digital voice phone service, etc., etc.  I plan on blowing up a cell phone, computer, and whatever electronic device available to talk with them at least twice a week!  :) 

Be sure to keep up with Fran on her blog too!  http://frandinsky.blogspot.com/ (same as the link above)  I'm sure she'll get back to posting on a regular basis about her adventures in North Carolina.  I can only say that I love you, Fran, and I'm so very proud of you!  I will miss you terribly, but I know this is a fantastic move for your family.  We're here when you're ready to come visit - and I will definitely be planning a visit with you too.