End of a Chapter

 I have found that packing up the house and leaving it empty, is a clear indication that this is the  end of a chapter. 

I am throwing out the taped up bulletin board that held our calendars for many years - scheduling rides to and from schools, soccer, piano, cross-country, flags, church, vacations, and activities. 

We have sorted out shelves and desks, cupboards and closets. It feels like this part of our life is finished. The last two times we come back from abroad to our family, it was a continuation of life as it has always been. Though we noticed big changes, it still felt like Jeffrey and Linda Ann parents coming home to kids. 

But the next time we come to this house it will be a new move, a new ward, a new life, a new neighborhood. Life after living in Africa. Life after raising children.