It is amazing how quickly things can change. A few weeks ago, I was convinced I was going to move to the Denver area yet deep inside, my heart just wasn’t in it. I kept feeling I was missing an important opportunity, and I was.

I left WV when I was a fresh-faced 20 year old bride. I moved to England to be with my soldier husband. When that tour was over, the next station was Denver. I hated Colorado then. It was hot and dry and without the lush, green landscape I was used to. I stuck it out because I was at that age when I wanted to be ANYTHING but what my parents were.

When my husband and I parted company, I stayed on in Denver alone…scared to death but determined to give my daughter something different than what I had grown up with. And it was ok. My kids are Colorado kids but they are good people and independent thinkers. I did right by them. But did I do right by me?

I’ve yearned to live back in West Virginia for the last 30 years but couldn’t move. My ex-husband didn’t want to live there and I had kids at home for 33 years. Mr. Virgo would have moved with me, but he worked so hard to get out to Colorado, I didn’t have the heart to take him back east.

Now, I’m alone. My beloved man is gone, my brother has the life he so richly deserved and my girls are 40 and 24. My grandchildren are 10 and 7 and I have never lived near them so our time together is precious.

After being here a week, I have decided to move back home. My elderly aunt lives alone on the family farm and can’t take care of herself anymore. When my son-in-law’s mom told me a couple weeks ago that I need to picture what I want my life to look like, then make it that…my answer was that I want it to look like WV, not Colorado. So, I am close to getting an offer on my house and I will have 5 weeks to close then I’m coming home!

I cannot tell you the total sense of peace that has come over me with this decision. I have a huge support system here and I’m going to live here for as long as I can. I will visit Colorado and my babies as often as I can. So, another adventure at Marshmallow Ranch begins!