We're back from two weeks away and my house and bed that I returned to were never more inviting! I think it's true, that saying that says you can never go home. Sure, we slept under the same roof that I did all those years when I was becoming more of who I've become. But my life has changed so much that while there it sometimes felt as though time has stood still while swallowing all that is familiar and memorable.
I haven't always felt this way, some years I've felt embraced, happy to return for a visit, eager for those trips down the many memory lanes. This year felt different somehow and if I could, I would scoop up my parents and siblings who still live there and transplant them gently down the road from me here, in my new home in a land that I feel more and more is my own. Preferably on the acres and acres of land I own in the place I've constructed in my wildest dreams. We would live in a modest white farmhouse with chickens and horses cozy in seperate shelters, beyond the puppies that roam freely around the giant pool and wild poppies.
For the present, as my gift brought home from faraway travels, I have sweet memories of moments with family and a few old friends, stories lived and shared, lessons learned and given. I'm grateful for long hours on the road when I became engrossed in Hunger Games and fought my way through hell, the roads between London and Ottawa lost on the roads of France and in England along the white cliffs of Dover. Going through the photos taken, I remember a thought or smile gained or given, often wishing my camera was more able for the conditions and locations I demanded of it.
But what I do have in rectangles of color is all of who I am, in this moment, looking out from a life within, my perspective on life and those that are in mine. Some a little out of focus, some a little lacking the light necessary, and some beautiful reminders that I was there, that I saw them, and that I was and am so fully blessed.
I'm caught up on laundry and gardening and all those necessary chores that demand notice after weeks of neglect. I hope to share soon of the pictures and poignant moments collected along the way.
Until then, just this one of Manu, content and tucked in between sister and papa, soaking in every sight and thrill while with her beloved grandparents, aunts, and uncle. A profound lesson regarding faith and her presence in my life is coming soon...!
