"So we'll see you Thursday night!" my son said, calling on a cell phone from his in-laws home in Thailand just a few minutes ago. "We'll be there!" I assured him. We booked tickets to Florida so we could pick them up at the airport upon their return from a month's sojurn in their southeast Asian homeland.
It's been quite a trip for them...I've written a bit about it here, and he's also written about it on his own blog here. They've been gone about a month, and we drove them to the airport when they left, certainly not knowing what we were sending them off to face. Some obstacles, some health concerns, but also evidence of continued love and support from their families on both sides of the world, and a renewal of their common purpose and hope for the future.
They endured it all, proving once again that they are self sufficient, intelligent, noble young people, with a dream they are working toward and the will to make it happen.
So they return to the States- the two of them together - united in their commitment to life and to the future.
And some months from now, they will return to Thailand, perhaps to continue their journey toward creating a family of their own, or perhaps to celebrate that family already in the making.
Every journey sends us off into these realms of the unknown, whether it's a physical journey across continents, or a spiritual journey within our hearts. And with each return, we are wiser, stronger, more enlightened people. What a gift, to be able to share the journeys with those who love us.
Returning, renewing, rejoicing...it's what families are all about.
Visit Writer's Island, to read other's thoughts about returning.