2018 = Change

Change defined. Verb: 1. make or become different

Noun: 1. the act or instance of making or becoming different

In the Willis household, 2018 has been a year of change. Actually, it started when, instead of wintering in Tucson, we bought property in Yuma in the fall of 2017 and went there for the winter. It took some adjusting but we have wonderful neighbors and friends here now.

Exactly a year ago on Christmas eve, we learned that we were going to become great-grandparents, in late summer, we thought. God’s plans were different, though. Tiny Rachel Leigh Compton (Rae) came into the world on April 25 at 26 weeks gestation and our lives changed. Her fighting weight was 1 pound 5 ounces and I do mean fighting! She was overbreathing the machine within a week and consistently gained weight. By early August, after more than 100 days in the hospital, she came home. Change again! She’s a big girl now and we couldn’t be prouder.

In May, Ben and Bailey, Heidi’s twins, graduated from high school and became freshmen at Friends University in the fall. Talk about change! Jadelyn is suddenly the only child at home!

We learned that son Robert has been promoted to 1Sgt in the Army and he and Shelly will be transferred to Hawaii this summer. Congratulations, Robert! We’ve never been to Hawaii. Looks like we’ll change that, too! This photo also includes our one and only Georgia grandchild Avery and Avery’s partner Taylor.

LeRoy’s cousin Raymond passed away in October, ending his battle with COPD and then esophageal cancer. Another change for us. We’d been stopping to see him in New Mexico since we started traveling in 2010.

After 8 years living in Liberty, we began to realize that driving and maintaining this 1967 Silver Eagle was a bigger job than LeRoy needed, especially with an anxious navigator, so we decided to try to sell our bus. Other Eagles had been taking years to sell, so we thought we had plenty of time to make decisions. We put the listing online October 15 and on October 30, Liberty left the driveway at the Landing for the last time, this time with new owners. Bam! Change happened!

One U-Haul trailer later, we arrived in Yuma and started looking for a park model to put on our property. This picture was taken before it was moved here. Sometime after the first of the year, we’ll officially be moved in. What a change to put things away and know that we won’t be taking the house with us in the spring!

Because we won’t be taking it with us, this means more changes for our spring and summers. We will have to have other living accommodations for those parts of the year. Those changes remain to be discovered. Stay tuned!

One thing that has not changed through all this is our loving God. We celebrate our savior’s birth today and we are so thankful for his provision and care. In all this change and others to come, He remains true and faithful.

Best wishes for 2019!