Reason 71: Amtrak to NC!
100 Reasons I'm Retiring
I have one sibling, my older brother Harvey. He and I have always been close. In the last few years, as our father began his slow decline, we became particularly intertwined as we shared childhood stories, memories, and concerns for Dad. Harvey lives in North Carolina, about a 365 -mile trip. That’s 8 hours on the train.
So far, Allen and I have made the trip to Cary, NC twice. In the last two years, time with Harvey has been spent in Rehoboth Beach, DE, as we sifted through Dad’s possessions of 95 years, and visited Dad at his care facility in Virginia. It requires careful planning to coordinate our schedules and the train!
But someday soon, I’ll be able to say to Harvey, “Hey, I’m coming down next week!” and I won’t have to leave lesson plans behind.
Do you have siblings? How often do you get to see them?
I do have a sibling, and sad to say we don't speak. I think trauma either brings you closer or further apart. Ours was the later. We hadn't spoken in a while prior to Mom going into the nursing home. My sister in law and Mom had that off and on again relationship. It wasn't until years later that I realized much of what I thought was close, was manipulative. In any case, the bridge that was rickety became broken and there was no repairing it. It's been almost 10 years since the last thing I heard my brother say to me was, "You go with your family, and I'll go with mine,"
That's wonderful you have a brother. My parents chose to only have me. Oftentimes I wonder what it would be like to have a sibling, be an aunt, have sister or brother-in-laws. But, I accept this was God's plan from the start. I look forward to reading about your time with your brother following your retirement.