Milo at my parents’ cottage.

 

Have you ever had to rely on the generosity of other’s to get by?  We had to leave our apartment in New York before Mr. Darling was released from the military.  It put us in a weird position.  He only had a few more weeks of service left, but he didn’t have a civilian job lined up yet. We never really considered NY our home, but we really didn’t know where we were going to end up.  After spending a reasonable amount of time panicking, a loose plan was made.  Our belongings were moved into storage.  Mr. Darling stayed in NY with a friend whilst he finished up his service.  The kids and I began a tour of homes in the Midwest.

We stayed with friends, with aunts and uncles, with parents.  We were excitedly welcomed into home after home.  It felt so natural and easy to ask for their help, and they gave so willingly, that I have to remind myself how fortunate we were to receive it.  We saved a lot of money, stress, and frustration, and we gained so many terrific memories.  There were times I was overwhelmed and tired of having so little personal space.   Still, when I look back, our summer was lived on generosity and, pardon my schmaltz, love.  I can truly say it was one of the best of my life.

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