It’s always seemed to me that life is this constant circular experience of making a home for yourself, a house of belonging, and just as you have everything in place, there’s a knock on your door and you’re out. // David Whyte There’s no getting around it—we all experience loss throughout our lives. We experience the loss of a loved one, a career, a marriage. Or, we can experience more ambiguous loss like the loss of unmet expectations or unfulfilled dreams. The list goes on. Loss is part of the human experience.
You are such an extraordinary writer with a vision and depth of the soul many desire to obtain.
I first heard you on a podcast and I was so impressed with your story that I had my husband listen to it as well.
I then searched for your Instagram/Facebook pages and began to follow you.
I and my husband moved from fast paced Atlanta GA where we lived for 22 years to Greensboro NC.
Greensboro is much slower more quiet but, we had to make the move because the company my husband worked with went bankrupt and he was unable to find another job in Atlanta after searching for nearly 2 years.
The only opportunity was a job here in NC.
I was extremely against moving initially because our son and granddaughter recently had moved from Chicago area to Atlanta to be near us.
Soon as they purchased their new home in GA we had to leave.
We also lost a daughter, Jenni, to a rare cancer in 2015 which she fought for 5.5 years. She was 33 years old and was an absolutely beyond amazing human.
Atlanta held vast memories of all the time we spent with her all the places we touched, laughed, sang together in her car while she drove to one of our many,"field trips." She would often tell us to move from GA to somewhere that was quieter and into a smaller home.
We did downsize our home and we live in an area that is exactly what she would have personally handpicked for us. What all seemed to be a grueling move brought so much more goodness than expected.
Until my husband suffered an aneurysm leak which led to a stroke and he nearly died. Thank God our son was here at the time and was a pilar of complete strength.
My husband has recovered and is working from home. Our son is trying to move closer to us once again because of what he experienced with the loss of his sister and nearly his father.
Life is interesting, just when we think we have arrived we find that we have so much further to go.
I mentored at risk youth for over 14 years and the one thing I would tell them all is..."The best that you can be will depend on the worst trials you are willing to overcome." Trials are meant to strength not destroy, we are not exempt to suffering, it is how we rise from the death of the parts of us which must die to be reborn.
Thank you Caleb for sharing your life of rebirth so eloquently. I am happy to have found you and to follow you on your journey of living.
Hi, Lynn. Thank you SO much for sharing part of your story with me and thank you for taking the time to read my post. It means more than you know. So grateful for the work that you're doing and can only imagine the lives that you are touching. Sending you and your family all the love.
Loved this! I can so relate- the inner hunger, drive, emptiness, always striving, moving, achieving.... it’s exhausting. I recently made a similar move- from the ‘glamour’ of the big city and 27 years of fast living- to return to the city where I grew up. Part of me is ready to stop and belong, part
Of me worries I’ve pulled the train into the station and reached the end of the line and settled. But slowly I’m starting to feel calmer. More
Open to a slower life. Ready to connect. Here’s to us and our new adventures. Love your writing, keep up the good work ! A x
Thanks for reading, Al. And, thanks for sharing part of your story. I feel like because 'settling' is so scary to us, it's what we have to initially lean into. Yes, here's to us and our new adventures. And thank you for your kind words!
Wow Caleb!
You are such an extraordinary writer with a vision and depth of the soul many desire to obtain.
I first heard you on a podcast and I was so impressed with your story that I had my husband listen to it as well.
I then searched for your Instagram/Facebook pages and began to follow you.
I and my husband moved from fast paced Atlanta GA where we lived for 22 years to Greensboro NC.
Greensboro is much slower more quiet but, we had to make the move because the company my husband worked with went bankrupt and he was unable to find another job in Atlanta after searching for nearly 2 years.
The only opportunity was a job here in NC.
I was extremely against moving initially because our son and granddaughter recently had moved from Chicago area to Atlanta to be near us.
Soon as they purchased their new home in GA we had to leave.
We also lost a daughter, Jenni, to a rare cancer in 2015 which she fought for 5.5 years. She was 33 years old and was an absolutely beyond amazing human.
Atlanta held vast memories of all the time we spent with her all the places we touched, laughed, sang together in her car while she drove to one of our many,"field trips." She would often tell us to move from GA to somewhere that was quieter and into a smaller home.
We did downsize our home and we live in an area that is exactly what she would have personally handpicked for us. What all seemed to be a grueling move brought so much more goodness than expected.
Until my husband suffered an aneurysm leak which led to a stroke and he nearly died. Thank God our son was here at the time and was a pilar of complete strength.
My husband has recovered and is working from home. Our son is trying to move closer to us once again because of what he experienced with the loss of his sister and nearly his father.
Life is interesting, just when we think we have arrived we find that we have so much further to go.
I mentored at risk youth for over 14 years and the one thing I would tell them all is..."The best that you can be will depend on the worst trials you are willing to overcome." Trials are meant to strength not destroy, we are not exempt to suffering, it is how we rise from the death of the parts of us which must die to be reborn.
Thank you Caleb for sharing your life of rebirth so eloquently. I am happy to have found you and to follow you on your journey of living.
God bless you and your beautiful wife.
Hi, Lynn. Thank you SO much for sharing part of your story with me and thank you for taking the time to read my post. It means more than you know. So grateful for the work that you're doing and can only imagine the lives that you are touching. Sending you and your family all the love.
Loved this! I can so relate- the inner hunger, drive, emptiness, always striving, moving, achieving.... it’s exhausting. I recently made a similar move- from the ‘glamour’ of the big city and 27 years of fast living- to return to the city where I grew up. Part of me is ready to stop and belong, part
Of me worries I’ve pulled the train into the station and reached the end of the line and settled. But slowly I’m starting to feel calmer. More
Open to a slower life. Ready to connect. Here’s to us and our new adventures. Love your writing, keep up the good work ! A x
Thanks for reading, Al. And, thanks for sharing part of your story. I feel like because 'settling' is so scary to us, it's what we have to initially lean into. Yes, here's to us and our new adventures. And thank you for your kind words!