I can't believe how long it's been since I've written a post on this blog. Embarrassingly long. So long, in fact, that I'm not even sure where to begin. Let's go back a bit.

My mum and I have had a great summer on PEI. It truly has been the best place for us - to get away, to discover, to heal, to just be. The generosity, kindness and warmth of the people we've met here are beyond anything we've ever experienced. It gave us a direction and a sense of purpose when we didn't have one, and if we had to do it over again, we wouldn't change a thing.

As we neared the end of the summer, we knew we'd have to make a decision on whether or not to stay on PEI. It's not been an easy one. After talking about it more times than I can count, what it came down to is the exact same thing that brought us here in the first place; we tried to listen to our guts.

Both my mum's and my life changed dramatically after my paps died, and I suspect we could have stayed stuck in a very dark place for a very long time were it not for this experience. It pushed us back out into the world again. It gave us a reason to get up in the morning. It gave us a reason to go on. That said, we're also aware that we're starting a new chapter of our lives. That is especially true for my mum, and what we've realized is that what's best for her now is to have as much support as possible. Since most of her friends and family are close to Ottawa, she's decided to move back there. I'll be going back to Montreal, to be close to her, and to my own friends. Though we're sad to leave PEI, we're also very grateful for our time here, and excited about what lies ahead.

As far as our little shop is concerned, our last day at the school house in North Milton will be on Thursday, August 21st. I'll also be closing the online shop, temporarily, while we move and get settled. Though we won't be on PEI anymore, I'd like to continue The Girl From Away. I'll need to reconfigure a bit. It'll no longer be a physical store, and likely not so specific to PEI, but I'd like to continue with the online shop, and perhaps craft shows and pop-up shops, which, in hindsight, is essentially what the school house was for us. I've really enjoyed creating and working on this project, and I'm looking forward to what's to come.

So that's our news, friends. That's where we're at.

Before I wrap up this already long-winded post, I just wanted to thank you all so very much for your support. So many of you have come out to the school house, placed orders online, told your friends about us, taken the time to write to us, and that, by far, has been the very best part of this adventure. I know that my mum and I will always look back fondly on this experience, and that's entirely due to all of the kindness and support we've received from you.

The Shifting Tide.