Bless Me Blogger For I Have Sinned...

... it has been over 10 YEARS since my last submission…and THIS FREAKING PANDEMIC HAS FINALLY BROUGHT ME BACK! 

It’s 2020.

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My last entry was in 2009, when I was a young-ish mom of two and wrote about my daily struggles raising tiny children in a foreign country without my family.  Well, let’s fast forward 10 years and here we are today!  Another spunky addition to the family later, we continue to take on this crazy world together in a not-so-typical way.  Our life in Mexico continued to flourish into an unforgettable experience.  We were blessed in so many ways and developed lifelong relationships that became our ‘family’ away from home.  

Life was good. We were good.

It wasn’t until fall of 2014 when things took a turn and our priorities as a family had to change. Within 6 months apart, my father suffered a massive stroke back in Toronto and my beloved father in law suddenly passed away soon after.  Our worlds changed.  We knew, it was slowly time to make our way back and be closer to our loved ones.  As difficult as it was to make that decision – because we WERE happy where we were – it was time to make the change.

We moved to Toronto in July of 2017, just a few short days after we baptized our Godson Nicolas, in Hermosillo.  None of it was easy.  Our decision to leave was just as hard as the adaptation in the beginning.  When I bring myself back to those first few months, I get anxious just thinking about it. I remember so vividly, our first day back at school, Lexi starting grade one. I parked the car across the street and held her little hand as we walked towards the gates of her new school. I obviously had my ‘this is so cool’ face on and was overly enthusiastic as I gave her a pep talk about how exciting it all was. I knew no one. Not like back 'home' in Mexico, where everyone knew each other and our community was way smaller. She cried. Devastated. She refused to let me go. Her teacher at the time, an older Italian lady, invited me into the school and after several LOOOONG minutes, I finally escaped. Lex was left crying – and I was left heartbroken. Uprooting the kids and having them adjust to a new life wasn’t as easy as I thought – and not a day goes by (3 years later) that I don't question our decision and wonder if we did the right thing.

Don’t get me wrong, life in Toronto has been rewarding in many ways.  I definitely feel like I have a different perspective on certain things, thanks to our experience living abroad for so long.  I can’t say I’m entirely thrilled to be back, nor can I say I’m entirely unhappy.  It’s just different. I constantly tell my kids the following, “Life is an adventure, It’s about living through change, going through hardships, and taking on new challenges - at times we are happy and at times we are not, but it is all about learning and adapting!” Being close to our family and making new friends (and reconnecting with old ones) has been a blessing.  The opportunities my kids have had to explore their talents and try new things have been countless… but I miss life as we knew it – I miss the simplicity of life in Mexico.

Almost fifteen years and a ton of new friends (and ‘family’) later, I have to say, I – Maryann - have probably struggled the most out of everyone, since returning to Canada.

Cristian is now 14.  My adorable little redhead is no longer so ‘little’ anymore.  He’s grown into an incredibly talented, charismatic, smart and hilarious young teen.  He’s doing what he loves most (acting) and really adapted well to his new life. He is the comic relief of our household and has an incredible ear for music.

Mia is now 13.  She is still my tiny Mimi, beautiful and strong willed with the most independent personality. She continues to be an incredible dancer and is as imaginative as they get. Mia’s artistic and creative abilities are definitely a gift. She’s had the toughest time adjusting from the three, I hope time will allow her to appreciate the opportunities being in Toronto will present to her.

Lexi is 8. She’s my spunky fireball who keeps us on our toes.  She too, followed her big sister’s talented steps into dance and at a young age has shown us all a thing or two about hard work and determination. She has a heart of gold and is mature and intuitive beyond her years.

So, here we are. A decade later, we are ready to take on whatever comes our way. Lack of ‘TIME’ was the reason I abandoned the continuation of our story all those years ago. Now, I have decided no ‘TIME’ is more perfect than the present - to begin a new ‘chapter’.  With our global situation currently being what it is (unexplainable) and so much uncertainty looming over us, I owe it to myself and my family to continue to document our moments shared, learnt and lived. Social distancing has brought me back! Thank you Covid, I knew some good had to come out of you.....