As I type this, I am in a motel in New York City. That means that Houston is in the rear-view mirror. It was a very great week with family. I will not bore you with lots of trip details but to say family is awesome. Currently, of the eight kids in Kingwood, only five are living at home. Jenna, who is normally away at school, came home – well, we went and got her. We got to see her school, Stephen F. Austin State University. It is in Nacogdoches, which according to something we read, is the oldest town in Texas. And it has the feel of an old town.
I had the privilege of dropping kids off for work, school, basketball practice, and other errands. Those are precious times. Sometimes we talked and sometimes we just enjoyed each other’s company. Several grandparents and kids meals were enjoyed, sometimes just the girls, and sometimes just the boys.
There were some unexpected emotions which surfaced as we prepared to leave and at the airport. Jeanne Blanton texted and said we must be excited. And tomorrow we will be for sure. But today was more about leaving than going, if you get my drift. Hugs and kisses, good nights the night before from James as he goes to work early. We have left a number of times in the past. Since they moved there five years ago, we have only missed one year of visits. And in all likelihood, we will see them again about the same interval of time. Yet, we are not headed back to Shelton. We are headed to Africa. There was something profoundly different about that feeling. And I have felt it at other times during this journey.
I am convinced that that is so right. Not that it is unique to this journey, but that separations ought to carry strong emotions. Family or friend matters a little. Family ought to carry the stronger emotions, but friends are near and dear as well. So, as leg two ends, and we tomorrow we begin the next leg of this grand adventure, we move from leaving to going. We have friends that are dear to us in there. We are looking forward to seeing them very soon. And maybe that is what is great about being in relationship with so many people. Wherever we go, we leave behind family, and we leave friends. And we go to be with friends, some who are almost as close as the family we leave behind. It is good to be in relationships.
See you soon, well, if five months is soon.
