Once Jeff left for Dubai in early August, we knew it would be a while before we saw him again. The plan was that I would travel to Dubai in early September to stay with Jeff, tour schools and neighborhoods, and generally get to know the city to decide if we could see our family living here. Then, Jeff would make a visit home sometime in early October. The time between Jeff's departure and first visit home was about 7-8 weeks, and the kids were missing him terribly. From putting the kids to bed each night to the coaching and assisting with sports and practices, Jeff's absence was felt strongly in our home. Kaitlynn often referred to herself as having a broken heart, which in itself was heartbreaking.
At some point during the long absence, we decided to create a countdown so that the kids would know when they would see their Dad again. At first the number seemed so high and felt discouraging, but the kids loved waking up each morning and changing the number. It felt like something tangible they could do to manage the separation.
Of course, they were happiest when they could see and talk to Jeff over the phone. FaceTime calls were such a blessing for all of us. We regularly talked with him on FaceTime right before bed and right before the kids went to school. They enjoyed so much hearing about Jeff's adventures in Dubai and sharing their own updates from home.
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