Better than Nada

My mom with my son

My sister and I with our boys at Easer

Lately, there's been a lot of difficult stuff going on in my family. My dad found out a few weeks ago that he has prostate cancer - nothing that's spread or isn't treatable, but it was still tough news for my dad and the rest of the family. Also, my Nana, who I absolutely adore (and who I happen to be named after) is very close to the end of her life, according to the hospice nurse who has been taking care of her.

I'm not mentioning these things to be a huge downer, but they have been on my mind a lot lately. It makes me feel so far away from my family and I wish more than anything I could be there for them while we all struggle through these hard times. Sunday afternoon I was feeling pretty low and texted my sister to see if we could have a "Skype lunch date" on Monday at noon (when both of our sons nap).

So yesterday I got to have a "fake sheesh date" (yes we call each other sheesh. and no, you may not make fun of us for that!). It was so fun to be able to see her for a little bit and just talk face to face (albeit not in the same room) for a bit. So thank you, makers of Skype for keeping families together, one video call at a time. It wasn't the same as being able to go to the mall together or have our sons on a playdate, but I'll take what I can get. As the old song goes, "A little bit is better than nada..." Still, sometimes you want the whole enchilada. I know I do.

I miss my family so much - it's terribly difficult being the only one in the family who lives far from everyone else who lives in one central location (Ohio). It's only an 8 hour drive, but with a toddler, 8 hours can seem like 80! The Buckeye State seems just far enough away that it's nearly impossible to get to for anything shorter than a week. Obviously, that's not true (we're actually headed there for a wedding in less than two weeks!), but it seems a world away from here sometimes.

Although I'm sad to be physically separated from my family, I know that there's a reason for it. I may not understand it now, but I trust God that at least for now, this is what's best for me. He knows me better than I know myself and so, I walk by faith. At least I'm never far at all from my Heavenly Dad.