Sometimes people ask what I miss about home or what I'm looking forward to when I return to California. On a superficial level, I miss avocados, Mexican food, meeting in coffee shops and the availability of inexpensive, quality goods. I also have a list of the things I miss when I leave Ukraine: mineral water, extensive public transportation, purchasing food that is more locally grown and only a 10 minute walk from my apartment and other amazing food in general, to name a few.
But on a deeper level, I miss people and relationships more than anything else. Besides weddings, birthdays and graduations, I miss birthday parties and watching my friends' children grow up. I miss the people who challenge me and spur me on to be Christlike. But the same is true when I leave Ukraine. Two friends are giving birth in the next month. I will miss the opportunities to help them out. I will miss seeing the joy on their faces as I watch them and their husbands revel in having a new child in their lives. Also, two friends are getting married this summer. I will miss out on their extreme mountain-top wedding. I will miss sitting around the table and sharing our lives with one another.
Last night several youth came over for the evening. We ate a lot of sweets, drank tea and just enjoyed talking. Another girl is leaving to study abroad soon, so we talked about that. They made me a memory book full of photos from this last year. I joked about crying but will probably only do so once I'm gone.
Having two homes is good but leaving is always hard. But arriving is always great.
To those I leave behind, I will miss you and look forward to seeing you again in 7 months and all the time we will spend together again around the table drinking tea.
To those I am coming home to, I look forward to the time we will spend together. It will also be hard to say goodbye to you at the end of the year.
До встречи!
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3 comments:
Good post, Lois. We will miss you here in your Kyiv home and we trust you have a great time home in CA. God bless!
I've no words. Just to say I'm praying for you as you come and go along the road.
Yes, the joys and sorrows of double blessing--and a divided heart. We always leave home to go home. But we will never really be at home til heaven, and then all our loved ones get to meet each other!
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