Mina and I knew this day would come for a couple of months now, but it was an abstract concept with no date attached to it. Somehow that seemed to render it not so real…yet. The date is set. Friday, Mina’s dad begins his sabbatical in Turkey for the next few months and life shifts again. We have all been supportive of him going back because this is something he has wanted to do for a very long time. I believe he is looking for answers to questions that have plagued him and our marriage for years. I hope he finds them, I truly do.
He and I took the time to create a parenting plan that would get us through the next 7 months: 6 weeks in Turkey, 2 weeks with Mina here. On so many levels, it is overwhelming. It is overwhelming to travel back and forth so often and so far. It is overwhelming for me that I am THE parent for 6 weeks straight, no time off, weekends, or break. It is overwhelming for Mina that she won’t see her day for long stretches of time.
She had her little emotional breakdown about it on Saturday. I could tell she had been holding it in because her emotions were slipping out at odd moments over odd things. Giving her space, she finally talked to me. She is feeling scared because its new to be without her dad for so long. She just doesn’t know what to expect. Life is scary when we have to begin something new.
We had a long talk about how we stepped out into our new life after the divorce, that we did ok and found things that made us happy. We are just entering another “new” phase, but that we will do even better because now we have so many more people around us who care about us and want to help us. Maybe this one will be easier because we know we can do it and still be happy.
She smiled.