Reflections

It's my last day here and my mind is awash with emotions and memories of yesteryear. The sky is grey and cloudy today, perhaps a reflection of my mood this morning. Visits to England are always hard but this one has been the most difficult yet. My own limitations stare me in the face and the week has brought a slew of challenges that I had failed to anticipate. It didn't help that I fell at Heathrow on our arrival and badly bruised my legs. I might be considered brave for having made the trip in the first place, but looking back on the week I now know that it was something deeper spurring me on.

Life has taken me in a very different direction than the rest of my family and after almost 4 decades of living in the USA, I can honestly say it is my home. The early years were very hard adapting to a new country and a new culture but it has become my own now and one which I deeply love.

This week has also given me a new appreciation for the ways in which God has blessed me and a gratitude for my humble beginnings in a land that still echoes persistently with the voices of history. My history. As I say farewell to family today and stuff the last remnants of newly found treasures into my already bulging bags, I feel a mix of melancholy and excitement all at the same time.

There's also not so much a whisper, but a loud reminder of time passing for my dad. He will be 91 next week and I can't help but think about whether I will get to see him again. Technology means we can talk every week and see each other on a video screen but it's not the same as actually being in the room.

Sadly, I am attending a funeral today for another family member and that will no doubt bring things squarely into perspective.

For now, I will try to squeeze as much as I can out of the day and enjoy each encounter that comes my way.