For those of you who have family far away.....

[Pomlover2586]

Ok so this is rather new to me. Part of my family recently moved out of state....cross country to be exact.

My husband and I are currently visiting for Thanksgiving. It has been 4 months since they moved and we are here for a week. I'm really hapy to see everyone again and visit with them, but at the same time I'm feeling really down about leaving again.

The whole visiting, having to leave and say goodbye again, not knowing when we'll see each other next, having to go through this again the next time we visit etc really has me bummed. Were talking parents/siblings [my side] and these are people I've seen almost daily my entire life.

It's been really hard so far and I'm just wondering how all of you deal with similar situations. We do talk on the phone/email/text daily so we have that covered But does anyone know how to make the visits/goodbyes less painful? Thanks for any advice, words of wisdom etc.......

 

[islangrl]

I have been in your situation for more than half of my life. When I was 14, my parents divorced, and my mom, DS and I left our little island and moved half way around the world, leaving our dad and 2 other siblings. I'm sorry to say, but it never gets easier.

The best thing that I have found, is just to make a lot of memories while you are all together. Telling jokes, family history, old stories of when you and your siblings were kids. Go through photo albums, take lots of pictures, tell every one how much you love them. Learn some new (or old) recipes together and most important..nip any family drama in the bud.

Maybe you can all set up Facebook pages together while you are there, so you can spend at least a few minutes a day reconnecting. My siblings, cousins and I all do this, and it's so easy to show someone that you are thinking of them!

To this day, I can't help but cry at the airport, even if I'll be gone for 2 days.

Hope you have a great visit with your family. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[c4a]

I wish I could tell you it gets easier.... It seems the hugs can't be tight enough...last long enough. Cherish the time. I love the digital cameras-visit pics. fill my space.

 

[minniecarousel]

We moved to California from Ohio when I was 6 years old. I have many siblings, but all of my parents sibs were back there. They would come to visit and I would see my Mom cry after they'd leave. It would make me so sad.

The best advice I have is to not dwell on the leaving part until you leave. Then go ahead and cry, but don't dwell on it too long. It's a part of living away from family. Enjoy your visit while you're with them.

I like the Facebook idea too.

 

[diznygirl]

One of my favorite sayings:

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss

You are lucky to have family that you actually enjoy seeing, and want to see again. Appreciate what you have.

 

[maddiemom]

4 years ago we moved 900 miles from all of our family. Not an easy thing to do, but we did it. The goodbyes get easier each time. Hardest part is that our kids really LOVE being back home when we go because all of their cousins are there.

One of the things that my sister and I do to kind of add some extra fun to the whole picture of goodbye is that we have an item (specifically a crazy snowglobe w/a moose in it, it plays "happy trails") that we have hidden in eachothers homes at the end of our visits. It has provided our families w/many laughs when we discover the creative places it was left each time. I left it in the refrigerator in her basement in October. She left it once in our daughter's soft ball bag...and when we took her to practice it came out of the bag with her helmet...try explaning that in front of a group of parents and players!

 

[zippitydoo]

I have to agree that it does not get easier. I moved to Albuquerque from NJ 4 years ago. The only thing I can suggest is just make the most of the time you got with them when you visit. Like someone else suggested share stories, make new memories, take lots of pictures. Just spend quality time with them.

 

[SydneyBristow]

We moved down here to Florida and the rest of our family is still up north(NJ & PA). We've been here for a little over 3 years and I'm going to disagree with some and say it does get easier. Maybe it's because we're so darn happy down here.

I'm still very close with my family, I talk to my mom & dad almost everyday, sometimes more then once and my sister on average once/twice a week. We're planning on switching cell phone carriers soon so then we'll be able to talk to them for free. We don't have web cams or any stuff like that. I've actually grown a lot closer to my In-laws because of the move, we never got along but now we do.

My parents come down for Christmas and stay 3 weeks and then they're here for 2 weeks in the spring. We go up there every other summer for 10 days or so. This year we might be meeting in TN and renting a cabin for a week together. My sister just flew down for the weekend and she comes at Christmas too. It's not a lot of time but we have a blast when we're together and that's what matters.

 

[Rora]

Oh man.. I know how you feel. I don't have much advice except this: just keep in mind these people are always there for you, even though they might not phyiscally be there. It helps to make plans for the next time you see each other and yes, it helps to cry. I hope you enjoy your time with them!

Just wanted to offer you a