I must have heard that a million times as a kid.
And truer words were never spoken. Last night I was a mess. But this morning I woke up to sunshine.
It has now been one week since the earthquake. Easily the longest week of my life. And while things didn't seem quite so grim today, there is definitely a huge question mark floating over every head in Misawa. "Should I stay here or go back to the states?" And for those who've already decided, the question becomes "Am I doing the right thing?"
The hopeful news of the day today was that school will start up again on Monday. That definitely tipped the scales for Doug and I into the "Okay, the boys and I will stay and stick it out" camp.
See, if I went home with the boys, I don't know if we'd make it back. We are at the end of our time here in Japan. Our PCS (Permanent Change of Station) date is mid July. I'd probably just want to enroll Max and Sam in school somewhere in California and stay put until Doug could join us.
(Our trip home would have to be 30 days minimum, possibly longer.)
That would mean my little change-averse boys would have to leave Japan, their home, abruptly and under extremely stressful circumstances, and go to a new place/home/school, temporarily, without Daddy. Yes, we would go stay with family, but it would still be a major shock to their little psyches. (And in case you haven't read the posts immediately prior to the earthquake posts, I'll just tell you that we're already a little shaky in the psyche department.)
BUT, that still leaves us wondering: How bad will it be here? Will school open for a few days and then close again? How limited will resources become? Will we be a burden to the base and community by staying?
My phone has been ringing off the hook all day. It's not an easy decision for anyone to make. Especially when we have fairly limited information. But we're going with what we know and having faith it'll work out.
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In other news, a friend reminded us yesterday that it was St. Patricks Day! Hope you had a good one!
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| My attempt at normalcy in the midst of chaos |
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Dear Family and Friends of the Sendai Teachers,
This guy worked really hard to help your kids!
Also, when Melanie and Kelsey are safely home, will someone let me know? Thanks! I'm pretty bummed I didn't get to say goodbye. :(
