When faced with sadness, family will always be there to bring your spirits back up and help you whenever. They will never say goodbye, but instead they'll say see you later. And the family you gain throughout your life, the ones you choose, will always have your back and cheer you on no matter what.
Just over a year ago my Toys "R" Us family had to say goodbye to our store. It's where we all met and became a family in the first place. We recently all got together and had a little BBQ. The first of many for our misfit family!
Even though most of us haven't seen one another in over a year, it was as if no time has passed. We all fell back into ourselves and reminisced about the "good" old times. We also caught up on the current events in each-other’s lives. Everyone has found something new and most like it, but others are using it as a filler until they find their true calling.
At one point we looked at each other and said it did feel a bit weird that we were all there because who's watching the store?!
The saddest part of this reunion was just as it hit the year mark for the store closing the landlord struck a deal for a new tenet for the building. That iconic store front of all windows, colorful lights and huge sign was taken down. The entire building was stripped down to its bones to be reborn into its next phase. Just like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this building will bring together a new family.
If you take a quick drive to the side of the building and look in the customer pick-up door, you can still see the back walls are painted like Geoffrey the giraffe's spots. Seeing a piece of our former home still there, in all it's glory, sparks hope. Hope that no matter how much times passes and how things are constantly changing, a piece of the past will always be there to remind you of the good times. To remind you of where you came from and how far you've gone.
No matter how much time passes, we'll all always be Toys "R" Us kids and there to say see you later!
