Travel Necessary

I run an essential oil business.  I sell essential oils and teach people how to use them safely and effectively to improve their health and lifestyle.  Part of this means I travel a few times a year.  Being Charlie's person, when I travel this usually means he has a really hard time while I'm gone.  Typically we  have to start prepping him a week in advance and we have several tools he uses when mom is traveling.  We have a picture of me that Charlie carries around, a shirt I've worn that smells like me that he can sleep with, and most importantly....Sunny.  All the boys also know that they can call or FaceTime me any time they want to when I'm traveling, no matter the difference in time zones.

In the past my trips included numerous phone calls a day, lots of help from family and friends, constant meltdowns, frustrated text messages from Tyler, Charlie in tears, sleepless nights, and often left this mama in tears wherever I was, knowing my absence left everyone at home in such turmoil.  The last couple of trips I spent a lot of time talking with the boys before I left about where I was going, what I would be doing, how many days I would be gone, circling the day I come home on the calendar so they can have a countdown, and ensuring Charlie I would be home.  And because my work schedule is worked around the boys' school schedule, it often means Tyler takes off most or all of the week so he can be around to drop the boys off at school and pick them up each day.

This time, my mom was a huge blessing to us and was able to come to the house early each morning while Tyler went to work, she got the boys up and ready for the day and off to school each morning.  HUGE blessing.  Tyler was able to work an abbreviated work day each day and took off early to pick up the boys from school.  I got pictures and videos every morning of the boys getting ready for school and only one FaceTime call during the week.  And we know that Sunny has been instrumental in keeping Charlie even while I'm gone.  She's his constant, even when I'm gone.  She's warmth and deep pressure for him.  She's something to hold onto until I come home.

On the morning I was flying home I was texting my mom to get an update for the day.  And the best thing happened.  She responded with this....

I couldn't have been more excited.  Tears filled my eyes.  I knew it took a lot of work to get to this point.  And it will be ongoing work.  But at least we've gotten this far.  When I got home and hugged my boys I told them I was so proud of them for being so good and so helpful while I was gone.  I explained to them again that the trips I go on aren't vacations.  These trips are so mom can do her job and help people be healthier with essential oils.  I told them that because they are so good while mom is on these trips, they, too, are helping mom help people.

To all our family that helped out during this trip, a sincere and heartfelt THANK YOU!!  We couldn't do all of this without you guys.