This year, as the holidays are beginning to come upon us, Brenda Najera is reminded of what she misses most. Brenda Najera, my mother, is a strong headed, loving, smart woman in her mid-forties. Brenda stands about 5’5 , has bright blue eyes, and long, straight blonde hair, always done up in those big “Texas curls. “ And, my mom is never without a full face of makeup. Brenda is also a heavier set woman due to her long, hard work in the office and family events that revolved around whatever amazing menu she had planned for her large family.
Her life has always been about family and being there for every important event, from a birthday to a holiday and even a straight “A report card from one of her three children or five grandchildren. In 2010 that all changed; she had to move 1000 miles away from her family and friends from Euless, Texas to Moab, Utah. “The recession had my employer near a shutdown and even though I had applied for hundreds of positions in the area I wasn’t getting any responses says Brenda. “Out of the blue, a recruiter contacted me and I started the interviewing process for a position out of state.
The company had double digit growth, no debt, and the offer to join their company was a raise in pay. And, they covered my relocation, so I felt I had no choice. Brenda and her husband made the hard move in January to take the position with The Synergy Company, which produces organic supplements for lifelong wellness (The Synergy Company). She became their Director of Procurement. Moab, Utah, home to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, is surrounded by some of the most stunning red rock landscapes on Earth.
Moab’s unique combination of small resort town hospitality, beautiful scenery and the cool waters of the Colorado River have made it one of the most sought after destinations in the southwest (City of Moab). Although she has relocated to a beautiful place that she loves Najera states “I miss all of the opportunities to explore cultures, attending regional events and activities, and most of all the vast opportunities that are found in large cities such as Dallas. Najera adds “Most of all I miss my family; my mother, my children, and my grandchildren as well as my friends. Holidays are the biggest time in Brenda’s life when she misses “home” the most. She’s led me to believe that it is the hardest part of moving that she has had to deal with.
Every year when the holidays roll around she wants nothing more than to relocate back to Texas where she can be with her family for all of the holidays, events, and special times where new memories are being made. When asked what she misses most, it is family. “Holidays are about sharing time with one another; it’s about reminiscing about holiday’ past and making new memories.
Not actually being there means you are being left out of the new memories your parents, your children, and your grandchildren will be making, which is nothing less of heartbreaking,” Brenda stated. When she can’t be there she’s sure to let her family know that her heart is there with them and how she wishes she could be with them on that special day. In the past three years since her move she has always managed, along with her husband, to make the drive to Dallas to spend the Christmas holidays with family.
Those months leading to Christmas are still an emotional struggle for Najera as she tries to fill the void of not getting to shop with her daughters or be there to participate in the “wish list making of her grandchildren. Brenda says, “I try and surround myself with new friends and their families, which many times doesn’t actually fill the void; it instead makes it worse. I find small ways to volunteer, and stay very busy with my work, but the holiday commercials on the television and decorations at every turn make it impossible to forget it’s the holiday season and your heart knows where you belong.
