Goodbyes.

Peter and I have had to say an abnormal amount of goodbyes to each other lately.  First, it was his trip to the Dominican Republic, and then I got on a plane to head to Kansas City for work, and then a few weeks later he gets on a plane headed for Malawi, and then soon after he comes back from Malawi, I will be getting on a plane to California, and then hopefully, fingers crossed, we will get on a plane TOGETHER for our transatlantic flight to Ireland.

I just have to say I'm not a huge fan of goodbyes.  Maybe it's because I just love being with my husband and I truly miss my best friend when he's gone?  Or maybe it's because goodbyes are just plain sad?  Whatever it may be and whatever the reason, I know that I am lucky to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.  And I have started to think about how it could be so much worse.  When Peter goes and when we say our goodbyes, I know, God willing, that he will be coming back in just a few weeks, at the latest.

And I can't help but wonder about those women who say their goodbyes to their husbands, who brush their lips with his, who hug him so hard for one last time, before they deploy for 6 months...a year...maybe even longer?  How would I handle the goodbye then?

Here I am yearning for my husband and he hasn't even left yet, and I find myself slightly mourning him when he does go, and I wonder how I would respond if he was gone for a month or even a FULL YEAR??  This isn't my reality, so I know it's slightly irrational for me to think this way, but the truth is...it's a reality for SO many out there, and we must never forget that!

So hold that man extra tight tonight...kiss him a little more deeply...and look into his eyes and tell him you love him! Be thankful for his presence in your bed...be thankful for his presence in your life.  I'm sure someone else would love to have their man beside them, but for the time being they are off serving their country and for that I am grateful!

Bit of Inspiration.

"We get one story, you and I, and one story alone. God has established the elements, the setting and the climax, and the resolution. It would be a crime not to venture out, wouldn't it? It might be time for you to go. It might be time to change, to shine out. I want to repeat one word one for: LEAVE. Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn't it? So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed!"

- Donald Miller - from the Foreword of his book Painted Desert

Don't you just love this??  I am on a roll today with the quotes...but I just wanted to share some of the ones that truly inspire me!  After reading this one, I think - I know why i travel, I know why I love adventures, but I also know why I do love the comfort of home.  It is nice to have a place to come back to - a place to ground yourself - where people know the person you were before you left.  But then i ask, what is home exactly??  Is it simply a place?  Or is it the people?  Or is it your belongings and material things that create a sense of home?  So many different meanings for one very short four-letter word.  I truly am a woman of many unaswered questions, and these circular questions as my brother would call them will continue throughout this entire blog, and let's be honest - throughout my entire LIFE!

Quote.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

- Mark Twain

Why is it that soo many people speak of exploring...of dreaming...of discovering but they dont actually do it??...is it fear?...is it obligations and responsibilities that hold them back?  What is it that holds you back?