A few years back Wayne decided we needed to get away from the dreary winters in Seattle. The rain depressed him and he craved sunshine.  I balked.  Our children, grandchildren, our friends, my office, were all in Port Orchard.  The rain didn’t bother me, and I dug in my heels until Wayne convinced me to give it a one month trial.  I was sure I would hate it.  I didn’t hate it– I tolerated it. After a month of sunshine and much deliberation we decided to purchase a condo in Florida.

Reluctantly I agreed to three months in Florida a year. We knew no one, and I was convinced I would be utterly miserable away from everything that was home and familiar.  Every morning I had to pray for a good attitude and I’ll admit it took a while to adjust to life away from my children.  As the years progressed, though, we made friends, joined a couple of clubs and I adjusted.  Wayne thrives in the winter sunshine and I’ve written some of my best stories here in Florida.  I won’t say it was easy to start over but the change was a good for us both.  Today I love our Florida home and look forward to visits from the kids, grandkids and friends. Sometimes new beginnings have a way of sneaking up on you and blessing you in ways you never thought possible.