My daughter-in-law, Samantha, completed her doctoral studies at Northeastern University this spring. She and her husband had worked and sacrificed to help Samantha get her PhD. We were all excited and so proud of her. She methodically started pursuing job openings. Everything Sam does is methodical. She was offered a position at Marywood Univeristy in Scranton, Pennsylvania, which she accepted. Again we were all very glad for her. In the back of my mind was the nagging thought, moving means another adventure with a rental truck.
It wasn't long and my son Jonathan, Samantha's husband, called and asked me if I would mind helping them move. I told him I would come and help. This didn't please my wife. She has been telling me its too hard on me to help with moves now that I'm so old. I brought her response on myself. A few years ago I helped my daughter Julie move from Eagle Colorado to Broomfield Colorado. I admit, by the time we got her moved into her second story apartment I was completely exhausted, and even told Julie and Amy that I was retiring from helping with moves. I'm pretty sure it was just the altitude that made me so tired on that move.
I, like many parents have helped our children move through the years. Its one of those parental responsibilities, but it is good bonding time too. When I helped Julie move it was her, and her sister Amy, helping me. They are both good movers. I remember Amy saying, as we grunted a heavy piece to the truck, "its a good thing you don't have wimps for daughters." I don't, they have all been willing to get their hands dirty and break a big sweat on moving days. As has Samantha. This move turned out to be the last one I got to help Julie with, and I will always be glad for the two days we had working close and just enjoying being Dad and daughter.
Three of my children ended up in Colorado, and they seem to have moved a lot more than Ryan and Keicha, who live here in the Ogden area, close to me. I have gone to Colorado to help Amy move, but lately she has been finding others to help, sparing my old body.
When Jon and Sam left Colorado for Boston I got to help them move. I met them at the Denver airport, Jon and I got into the truck and started out on our 4 day cross country journey. We were followed close behind by Sam, young Atticus, and the cat. It was great bonding time with Jon, who I saw regularly as he grew up but not regularly enough. We had walkie talkies and we got updates from Sam about Atticus and the cat. The cat was so well behaved, I was astounded. One walkie talkie report from Sam reported that Atticus had told her cats like grapes too. He was feeding grapes to the cat.
On about the third day of our trip, Atticus, who is is not an effusive child around me, decided he would ride in the truck with me. I had bought some red licorice bits to munch on while I drove and I offered some to Atticus as he rode shotgun looking out at the world through the big high truck window. He eventually fell asleep, a five year old needs his rest. Later in the trip Sam reported to me that Atticus told her I bought the red licorice bits just for him. I smile everytime I see red licorice bits now. As I said, our trip was three nights on the road. Long days of driving, talking, refueling, lunching, and looking at the changing scenery as we drove eastward. The last night we spent in Albany, New York. It was May 31st, Sam's birthday. We got in late and tried to find a place for a birthday dinner. Finally we found a place and had a quiet late dinner. The next day we arrived at the apartment in Braintree, a suburb of Boston, famous for the Sacco and Vanzetti shooting. We arrived around noon and proceeded to unload the truck. To this day Jon says we set a record for unloading a truck that size. I know we were all sweating like we were in a sauna when we finished. I stayed a day and looked around a bit, seeing the Northeastern University campus, and the Boston College campus, where Jon would earn his Masters degree. The next day I flew home, one more move done.
The move from Boston to Scranton would be a walk in the park compared to the one from Colorado to Boston. We loaded up the truck, with some help from a couple of Jon and Sam's friends. We slept at the apartment and the next morning we departed.
We had a new set of radios and Atticus was much older and rode with me the entire way in the truck. He had his book and the radio. He kept his Mom busy with reports about 5 minutes apart at the beginning of the trip. I could hear the exasperation in Sam's voice as she replied kindly to his constant reports and queries, it was very entertaining to me. We arrived in Scranton. Their 3 story Victorian style house was on a one way street with no garages. It was Sunday and everyone was home so the street, on both sides, was full of cars. Luckily there was some space right in front of their house. Jon got the truck maneuvered into position and began unloading, Jon reminding me I was older and there was no hurry. Two hours later we were done. the same time it took us when we unloaded in Braintree 5 years earlier. We would have made it in one and a half hours but the struggle with mattresses in the narrow stairwell and finally roping them up the back of the house to the second story porch, slowed us down.
We were all soaked again, and all very tired, but I had pulled my own weight, which is considerable. We went and had a good dinner and came home and began leisurely unpacking. I stayed for a couple of days to help get the heavy stuff placed and to tour Scranton. Finally it was time to head to Binghamton, New York for the flight home.
I worked hard, had a great time getting close to Jon, Sam, and Atticus again. Ive spent time getting close to them on two big moves, and two weeks in Bangladesh, I've loved every minute of it.
The next time any of the kids move, I will probably be in just a supervisory position, or just the truck driver. I'll gladly take the assignment and the bonding time it brings The time Ive spent helping all of my children move has been some of the best time I've had with them. Sometimes in a quiet moment I find myself wishing they had moved more often..... then I come to my senses.
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