MFA Merry Christmas
Grand Rapids, MI, USA Sunday 29th November
Dear Cousins & Friends,
I am writing to you today from Michigan in the American Midwest on a cold but sunny day at my son Andrew’s house, the first he and his wife Sara have bought since they decided to move here from London. My two grandsons, Leo and Jude are napping, while the other two, Louis and Axel, who live in Minneapolis, are plotting how to take money off their old Grandad in a football pool, relying on the fact that I know little or nothing about American football or the NFL. Some quick studying is required on my part!
Cynthia and I arrived here on Tuesday after some difficult weeks at home, because we are in the process of selling our house and our buyer has had a bit of a hiccup with her mortgage. The result was that our movers came in and put all our furniture into long-term storage last Monday, at the same time as we were putting other items into short-term storage. We had spent 4 weeks de-cluttering, which involved a day at a Car Boot Sale, at least six trips to the dump fully loaded and 5 to the charity shops! The final detail on Monday night was to put my car under cover on a friend’s driveway, my trailer in another friend’s garage and….by the way, did I mention that at the same time we had been packing for a 3-month trip to the USA?! Stress levels were high. At 8pm we finally locked up the house and took a cab to Heathrow for a flight the following morning.
We got a call from our lawyer while sitting on the plane, only 20 minutes before takeoff, that the non-refundable deposit protecting us for costs in case the deal fails, was secured. I know appreciate what “cutting it fine” really means, although we still don’t know if the deal itself is closed yet.
The reason for all the upheaval in our lives is that we have decided to emigrate to Spain. We both speak good Spanish and have lived and worked there in the past for many years. At 66, the thought of more grey, wet and cold British winters (also summers) is not appealing, so next March we are putting the short-term storage items into the trailer and driving down to southern Spain to find a home.
So, yes, in fact Cynthia and I are right now officially homeless, which was appropriate at Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday when we were fed by Americans, thus recreating the plight of the original stricken settlers from the Mayflower. We may also be the only refugees officially welcomed into Michigan at the moment!
In January, before we leave the States, we will be welcoming another addition into the family. Our daughter, Samantha, is expecting our very first granddaughter. Cynthia is looking forward to buying a lot of pink things over the holiday period.
All of this upheaval and change in my life is likely to go on until at least next summer and from next year I will be the only Merrilees (as far as I am aware) in my country of residence, Spain. I have no close relatives on my father’s side which, combined with the move, does not help my isolation from other family members. Also, I have not achieved as much as I had hoped during my tenure as Chief and I do not believe that I will have the time to devote to the job in the near future. It is, therefore, with regret that I have decided to resign the Chieftaincy as soon as a successor can be found.
Later in the Newsletter you will see a request for nominations for a Chieftain in Australia. I would ask you all to think also about a new Clan Chief and we will ask for formal nominations in the next edition.
With those thoughts in mind I want to wish you all a very happy and peaceful Christmas. At a time when thousands of unfortunate people are forced to flee their homes, living rough and travelling thousands of miles across continents to seek a life of peace, we must be grateful that we already have that life. At Christmas I hope we can all find it in our hearts to share a little.
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year to you all!
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