Thanks Friends!!!

I just wanted to thank all those who added comments to my last post. It is encouraging to know that you are welcoming us back into your life.

I think I posted on Thursday morning...the time difference doesn't seem to be reflected on the post...I am sure I could fix it...but... Anyway, the night before I had a call from a dear friend who recently settled back in California. She is so sweet and totally honest. So she wanted to share some of the challenges that she has been facing in the past several months as she re-enters American culture. One of the things she said was that it should be different for me because I have a family and we are making the choice to leave. That really struck me...will it be easier for me???

The truth is that although I know without a doubt that it is time to packup and move back, I don't know that I can say that I want to leave the hillside. Last week, in one of the ladies groups that meet in our home the question came up: If money was not an obstacle what event would you plan for your friends/family? Immediately, I thought, "Bring them all here, of course!" I would love the opportunity to share my new home with my old friends. To walk with them through the paths, the hills, the Bazaar, the school...to sit and eat in my home and in my favourite restaurants...to visit the people who have become significant to me...that would be such a joy to me.

I know that there is so much technology to facilitate communication and so I don't have to leave behind many of my friends. But what about all these dear women, who have no access to technology? Some don't really speak English and some don't even have a phone in their house. My mind reminds me that I can continue to pray for them, but my heart says that I will miss their presence in my life.

...pictures...I need to be intentional about taking photos of people...In the end, life is about the relationships we forge. The things I miss about home are relationships...over the years food and comforts have ceased to carry enough weight to sustain a longing for them.

So thanks again...and I will take all of you up on your offer to listen to my stories...and I want to hear the stories that have grown in your life in the time we have been apart.