My mother told me that my father had bought a second home for them in Portugal about a year ago and she had not been able to see it before he passed away suddenly after making the purchase. I was shocked, and knew nothing about it. She had finally decided to go and see the home he had bought for them to retire in.

I made the trip with her to check out her overseas property, and kept telling her how neat this was, that she owned a home that was located about half way around the world. When we got to the house, she started crying because it was absolutely beautiful. My father had purchased this home without even seeing it, from an overseas property firm, and had negotiated the price to be what he called, a steal.

We stayed in the home for about a month before returning home. My mother decided to move to the home in Portugal permanently about two months after we had returned. She said that she felt like my father would have wanted her to enjoy the overseas property he had bought for them.

My husband and I take the kids to visit her every summer and we have made some great memories there that will last a lifetime.