No Place Like Home

We lived 4 years abroad — two years in Turkey and two years in England. We loved our time overseas. We traveled, attempted to speak Turkish, attempted to enjoy British food (but failed miserably with the exception of G’s food), toured underground cities, spent the night in caves, toured ancient abbeys and castles, attempted to get in to Wimbledon (but failed miserably), attended call to prayer, counted dozens of minarets from high points in Istanbul, and took in the art, architecture, and history of Westminster Abbey. And the list could go on.

Since being home though, I have relearned the value of home and the friends and family that reside here. It has been almost a year since we have been back and as I reflect over the last year, I realize that I haven’t seen one statue, castle, mosque, mountain, imam or duke. Our lives now are much more simple but I have experienced something even more beautiful than the beauties of foreign lands. I am deeply touched by the many kind and generous offerings made by our friends and family. Their arms have been wide open in welcoming us back. For example, KB is always cheerfully willing to watch Z when I have errands to run or appointments to make. Z is completely comfortable with her and her son Baby R (who isn’t a baby anymore). KS brings us over to her house and feeds us lunch. There is something magical about her grilled cheese sandwiches that cause Z to even eat the crust! B teaches me that imperfection is beautiful. She’s also my blogging coach. H is still willing to run with me and tell me fascinating stories about her life and career when we are going uphill. My mom, dad and sister visit us on the East Coast and I am deeply touched by how much they love our little boy. They delight in taking care of him. They tolerate his obsession with listening to gospel music in the car. They think I’m a good cook.

Below you should find pictures of the people who have been so good to us but because of privacy and lack of photographic evidence of their goodness I am posting pictures of our travels. Just know that for every one of these tourism photos there is a friend or family member who is more divine and awe inspiring.