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My younger son, Chris, has been  here in New Zealand now for six weeks and he’s decided that he loves the place and is going to arrange permanent residency here, if he can.

This is one the best things that could ever have happened for me.

I love New Zealand and I’m very happy to be here as a permanent resident.  But my family all remained in the U.S. on the other side of the planet.  And I’ve missed them and I’ve felt my separation from them deeply.

Originally, in 2006, my second wife, Sharon, and I were going to immigrate here together.  But for a series of complex reasons, that didn’t work out.  And so I came alone  in 2009 and she stayed and we divorced.

At 64 now, I’ve made a new life for myself here in this wonderful and isolated bit of the world.   But, it’s been a series of harrowing years between the beginning of the journey back in 2006 and now.

Prostate Cancer (which I beat), a divorce, the loss of our joint land (25 acres)  and business (a nursery), the February 2011 earthquake here; which took my beautiful and fully paid for executive apartment in Christchurch, a heart attack (which I also survived).  It’s been an emotional and intense few years.

But the Beloved gives as well as takes and I’ve found a new relationship here with a wonderful and intelligent Kiwi woman named Colette.  She’s shared her home and life with me since the earthquake and that arrangement has worked out brilliantly.

She’s calm and (thank you, Jesus) hasn’t an ounce of drama queen in her.   Straight and true as the day is long.

She feels and she cares but with deep reason and thoughtfullness.  It would not be an exaggeration to say that she very probably saved me from depression and possible self destruction during my darkest days.

And now comes my son.   Full of energy and enthusiasm, he’s landed here with both feet on the ground.   He’s found a wonderful partner (with whom he’s living now) and he’s gotten excellent job prospects and all in such short order that he’s truly amazed me.  I think he’s going to make a success of life here in this beautiful place.  Certainly all the signs are favoring him and that desire.

So, these are the cards I find spread before me now as I prepare to go and revisit the U.S. for 10 weeks.

I have a wonderful partner and friend here in Colette who shares her house and life with me and who has given me the ungrudging freedom to go on this journey to resurrect and renew my family ties and my many U.S. friendships.

And I’m leaving my son here now building a new life for himself.  And in the process, he is so deeply enriching my life by my knowing that one of my beloved blood kin is now sharing this New Zealand life and experience.

This Blog is primarily about the mess this world is in.  That such things deeply concern me any reader here will know.

But you should also know, friends, that I am a deeply grateful man to be alive now, in this time in history and to be living the life I have.

– Dennis

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2012 at 01:53 and is filed under New Zealand, Personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.