The Most Difficult Good-Bye Yet

The string of good-byes continued through the weekend. Four nights of dinners in a row with amazing family friends who were planning repatriation. Each night we left with a “see you tomorrow” because no one wanted to actually say the words “good-bye”. But, as expected, the night came, at a great dinner-out-spot, where we spent over 3 hours chatting around the dinner table, before paying our bill and following each other through the high-end shopping center. Finally we reached that point where we were required to part ways - hugging endlessly, high-fiving, waving, blowing kisses, and walking backwards until we one of us turned the corner. It was less than glorious and a moment I’ll probably never forget. 

But, we’ve promised to rekindle somehow, sometime, someway. We have that power to ensure it’s not the end. Maybe we’ll some day live nearby, the kids will visit, or our anticipated annual girls weekend will come to fruition.

Unfortunately, the ending wasn’t the same with our recent farewell to Liam. 

My People

Two years ago, we left Cedar Rapids, Iowa for this journey around the world. I recall bawling my eyes out, wondering why in God's name we would ever choose this path. I was saying good-bye to my family, my best friends, a career I loved, and a neighborhood that fit us all too well. I felt like my world was coming to a halt and I had no control... yet we were choosing this for ourselves.

After just 6 months, we watched the first wave of friends leave, but we were continuing to explore this life that I never knew existed, watching our children blossom more than ever possible if we remained in our hometown, and routinely traveling the world and visiting "home". I've now grown accustomed to our life in China. We have adapted to not being available for every family event, catching up through video calls with crappy internet signals, and appreciating what our home country has to offer. We've learned to love the people within our four walls stronger, and we've become patient with the differences among cultures. We've toured and learned ... truly learned ... the whys and hows that people were raised and what they believe.