The sadness we feel about being away from family for
extended times, goes without saying! But
we have this innate need to belong…to a family…a community…a culture. Given different circumstance…time and
distance…we form ourselves into new relationships. Friends become family.
It is
hard to explain this to someone who has not experienced this lifestyle. It is difficult to communicate that the
neighborhoods of RV parks are just a viable as the neighborhoods in which they
live. When we lived in our house, we
barely knew the people across the street.
When a small child came to visit them, we speculated on if this child
was a grandchild, a niece or nephew, an extended family member, or merely a
visiting acquaintance. When a child
visits our neighborhood in our RV Park we know its name…date of birth…and
probably how old it was when it took its first steps. And we marvel at this
because every child belonging to a member of our RV family is, in many ways, a
child of ours as well.
What
happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.
We bond together in sickness and health…sadness and happiness. We rejoice in new grandchildren and great
grandchildren, and we grieve for those who have passed away during the summer
or are too sick to return.
Like family we take care of
our own. I am reminiscent of my widowed
friend, Lorraine. Each fall Lorraine’s
son drives her in her motorhome to Palm Creek.
In the spring he flies down and drives her back to Minnesota. If Lorraine has a problem with her car, all
she has to do is raise the hood and six men come to her aide.
There
is nothing, nor anyone, that can compare to aging parents, children or
grandchildren in our lives, but our extended family here at Palm Creek have
become an important element in our lives.
So, I
want to thank you and everyone else who have made us feel included and
important….who have had our back in difficult situations and have offered love
and support in times of need.
You are more than our
friends, you are family.
