A single empty-nester, she has succeeded in landing a new job that will provide her with the challenges that she's yearning for, and she is gracefully managing the anxiety of the unknown, with a little help from our late Dad.

She and her prospective employer are still dotting all the "i"s and crossing all the "t"s. As it turns out, the relocation package leaves her shouldering more of the risk on her home sale than she had expected. She won't earn the hoped-for profit in this market, and naturally this left her panicking about her decision to make a move.

But overnight she was able to remember her goal and one of my Dad's favorite sayings: "All it takes is money." What he meant was that, if a problem could be solved with money, it wasn't worth sweating, because it was infinitely easier to address than life's other problems -- like health crises and heartaches and the dark night of the soul.

Dad always helped us keep things in perspective.

So, Lorraine is keeping her eyes on the prize: a fresh life with new challenges, new people, in a new city. She has chosen to let go of what she can't control. (And do let me tell you, this doesn't come easily to either of us!)

She is crystal clear: price the house to sell. No use crying over spilt milk, or money you didn't have in the bank in the first place.

I can't wait to visit her in Chicago!