Rainy Days

It’s funny how things can flip so suddenly.  Sometime between Saturday morning and today, slivers of homesickness wormed their way inside me.  The little things make me miss people, like the other day when I was eating pineapple.  I imagined how Josh would sit on the stool next to me, how I would tip the Tupperware in his direction and say, “Want some?”  And then we would sit and eat in silence until our tongues started stinging.  Or whenever I put on the watch with the white leather band that Grandma gave me, I wonder what she is doing in that exact moment and maybe if we are ever thinking of each other at the same time.  I miss phone conversations with Ben because he's always been so good at that older-brother wisdom thing and I miss walking down the hall and flopping next to Dad and lying there with the T.V. going softly.  Or I think of how good it would be to have Audrey sit in my bed next to me, curl up under the Pooh Bear blanket, and read our devotionals together.  And most of the time I miss Mom, because she is the one who always listens to stories that would bore anyone else and takes the time to write me nice, long emails.  I even miss the things that don’t matter much, like smooth roads and hot water in the sink and texting.

Today, a cold front blew in sheets of grey rain and the only way I could get warm was by putting on several layers and curling up into a ball under the blankets on my bed.  I think all the cold and drabness of today made the distance between here and warm Virginia seem unbearably far.  But I am still happy and am learning how to live with people who are different, how to wash dishes with a cheerful spirit when the water is so icy, and – most importantly of all – how to peel and slice a papaya J Mostly, I’ve been learning (well, God has been teaching me) patience, one of the virtues that didn’t get passed on to me.  It’s difficult teaching a class, particularly in Spanish, and I had to employ a great deal of patience the other day as I floundered about trying to explain metaphors and similes.  So I guess all I’m trying to say is that I miss you all.  And I’m almost grateful for days of cold and homesickness because those are the days when I remember my blessings and when God feels nearest.