Ready, Set, Go! Purging Stage

It has been official for nearly two weeks now. Don left his job, a fifteen year career, just said goodbye to it. It all began many years ago, but came to a crossing in the road back in May of 07. After attending INCH (homeschool convention), he was sure it was time for us to go. To do the things we'd talked about doing for years, sell all the stuff and hit the road. We had nothing tying us to this location, except a house and the stuff in it. We were already homeschooling; we were about to publish a book that would require one of us to travel regularly to promote it, and the only reason to keep the job was to pay for all the stuff. So, let's quit talking and start moving. So, we did it. Don is home and we are working like ants trying to spruce up the old homestead so that someone will give us the big paycheck we are after. Of course, we are still publicizing the book, and working on the second title in our series (see vacationeducationbooks.com if you don't already know what I'm talking about here). The work, the painting and cleaning, moving the claw foot tub around... all that is easy compared to the emotional string cutting that has to happen in order for this all to work. My daughters(as opposed to their brothers) have been willing to give up pretty much every material possession, they are excited and looking forward to the journey and have hardly whispered even the slightest complaint about purging, until today. When it came down to size limitations, Caitlin looked fondly at her doll house and said, "I have to get rid of that?" I nodded, and said that she could keep it in her room for now, but that when the house sells and we go on the road full time, it will have to go. She sadly agreed, but I thought about her for the rest of the day. It isn't the dollhouse itself, it's what the doll house represents... this house is made from tiny pieces of wood from a kit that she and I spent all day every day for nearly a solid week gluing together to build this house. I know it isn't the house itself that matters, it's the memory that is elicited from the house, the sight of it, the smell of it, the feel of it, all those things bring about a flood of emotions as I think upon the days that we spent creating it. It's those feelings, those memories, that togetherness that I want to keep, and that I know Caitlin wants to keep as well. Those are the things that we are pursuing as we head out on this adventure; the togetherness, the memories, the fun things we'll do and see together, that's why we wrote this book series, that's why we are walking away from the material possessions, that's why we are leaving behind the things that burden us. I know the sadness that Caitlin feels as she lets go of the things in her life, but more importantly, I know that it is not about the dollhouse.