In the excitement of packing, traveling and moving to a new place, there are some things you just don't think about. For example, you probably aren't thinking about the birthdays you will not be around to celebrate in person. Life is fluid and full of adventure and change. The world moves. People move.
Recently, I flew back "home" to visit my family and was touched by my Dad's thoughtfulness. Because it had been a year since we had all seen each other, he ordered a special whipped cream cake which said "All of Us" on top. We celebrated a year's worth of all of our birthdays together. It was a happy moment. With just a tinge of sad.
I am happy to live where I do now, and my family is happy for me as well. But it doesn't mean that we didn't all feel the tug on our hearts as the candles got blown out. The price of the new experiences have cost us the familiarity and traditions of some of the old.
And when a loved one ages into their 90's, there is the acute awareness of thoughts like, "These may be the last candles he blows out," or "this may be the last time I see him alive." And, "I love him so much."
Yet, family loves and trains us to grow up and explore the world, embrace opportunities. True, they miss us. And we miss them. But so long as we are living authentic lives, they are happy for us. And we are grateful and perhaps more appreciative than ever for the precious moments we can share in this precious life together.