Leaving My Corner of the Forest

I'm going to be brief this morning, because in a little while I'm leaving to drive down to VA with my mother and one of my sisters.  The reason for our trip is a sad one: my mother's youngest sister died recently, suddenly and unexpectedly; and as she wasn't married and has no children, the burden of settling her affairs and cleaning out her house has fallen on the shoulders of my amazing, indomitable mother.  Mom was the firstborn of five siblings, and she was the one who always took charge and organized reunions for the far-flung members of her family.  She has always taken care of her brothers and sisters, so it is no surprise that she is the one who will make sure that her baby sister's affairs are in order and there is a beautiful and prayerful service for the many friends and family members who are mourning her.  My mom will make sure that her life is celebrated.

I'm glad that I'm able to accompany my mother as she goes through this difficult, heartbreaking process, but it's always hard for me to travel far away from home--and it's going to be especially hard today, when my husband is in the air on a return flight from Europe and won't even be there to wave good-bye as we pull out of the driveway.  As an airline pilot, my husband has had to get used to leaving home on a fairly regular basis to go to faraway locales (a whole lot more used to it than he'd like to be).  But I rarely leave my cozy nest (unless my husband is leaving with me, and we're going off to visit our children and grandchildren).

But sometimes you have to step outside your comfort zone, especially when family members need you.  As A.A. Milne's lovable Winnie the Pooh once said, "You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you.  You have to go to them sometimes."

Don't you just love that silly old bear?  As I've said before in this blog, I think WTP is a true philosopher.  He's got a lot more wisdom in that fluffy brain of his than he gives himself credit for.

For instance, there's this little nugget of brilliance: "Sometimes," said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."  How true that is!  I've seen houses that are a lot larger and grander than mine, where the rooms look like they're set up for a home decorating magazine photo shoot.   Such is not the case with my home-sweet-home.  But I love my house, and no matter where I go in the world, I'm always happy to get back to it.  It's the little things around here--like the little mouse that lives on the wall between our family room and kitchen, for instance--that make me smile and feel I'm right where I should be.  My heart is here, and that makes it home.

But I need not fear when I'm down south for the next few days; my little mouse friend will be here waiting for me until I return.  And in the meantime, I'm going to have to leave my beloved "corner of the Forest" for a little while.

My little Forest creature!  (How did he get in here?)

(For more words of wisdom from our good old friend Pooh, see two previous posts: "Wise Words from WTP," 2/28/12; and "More Wisdom from That Silly Old Bear," 3/16/12.)