What stays. What goes. What we carry forward.
It’s Father’s Day today, and instead of making headway on packing, I find myself caught in something deeper. This isn’t a typical Father’s Day, not for me as a son, and not as a father to grown children. I’ll spend the afternoon with my dad, and tonight I’ll be cooking dinner for my daughter, and maybe I’ll hear from my son who is across the country with his wife, who is also expecting. It’s an unusual rhythm, but then again, nothing about this season follows the usual pattern.
Today is Father’s Day. That’s what I’ll focus on. Not the boxes or the bags or the list of tasks waiting for me. There’s a time for every part of this journey. Today, it’s time to be present, see my dad, and take care of my daughter, and of course, have some backyard BBQ.
The packing has technically begun, slowly and unevenly. I took the house off the market in May so that my daughter Sydnee could move in. She’s excited, and I’m thankful. It softens the transition. Most of the furniture stays, and with it, a sense of continuity. The space won’t be emptied, just reshaped.
Still, there’s plenty to do. Two bedrooms need to be cleared, along with the garage — the garage is its own kind of reckoning, OMG. Sydnee will be adding a couple of roommates to cover the rent in the next few months, and that means space must be made. I’ll keep one room for myself, a small anchor for when I return. I’ll be flying back in September to help my daughter, one of the regular Visa runs I’ll need to make at least every 90 days. Each trip will be brief but necessary.
So, what do I take?
Just the essentials: summer clothes, I bought new light weight shirts to bring with, a few books, and my computer. It feels like traveling light, but this isn’t a vacation. It’s a relocation of spirit and space. China in the summer is not a climate for the unprepared. I’m a Pacific Northwest soul, cool air, long sleeves, and quiet mornings. In contrast, China’s summer heat presses in, and my wife prefers the AC a little higher than I do. That’ll take some getting used to. Call it a gentle test of patience or just one more lesson in letting go.
There are practical concerns too in my mind, like staying digitally connected. I’ve tried VPNs before in China with mixed success. This time, I’ve pieced together what I hope is a more reliable setup. I’ll write more about it once I’m there and see how it holds up. There’s always the nagging sense that I’ve forgotten something — something obvious, something I’ll realize too late.
But the biggest shift isn’t in my luggage. It’s the downsizing of a life, the trimming back of routines and comforts I’ve known for decades. It’s emotional work. Letting go of the familiar isn’t easy, especially when the future is still forming just out of sight. I can feel the pressure building, not crushing, but steady. Like a quiet voice reminding me: you’re not waiting anymore, you’re moving.
Today is Father’s Day. That’s what I’ll focus on. Not the boxes or the bags or the list of tasks waiting for me. There’s a time for every part of this journey. Today, it’s time to be present, see my dad, and take care of my daughter, and of course, have some backyard BBQ.
Echo From The West 