Transitions

We arrived back in Addis on Friday afternoon.  Bob and Cindy flew on to Oman for a few days, so it’s back to just Judy and me again.  I always find this last couple of days to be the most challenging of the trip.  Home is now so close that I can taste it – and there are a LOT of tastes that I’m looking forward to again, like salad and ice cream (not necessarily together, but  right now I wouldn’t be picky!)  Tomorrow will mark 4 weeks since I left Cincinnati, so it’s time to go home.  Yet I’m not ready to let go of this place yet.  I know that it may be hard for many of you to understand, but this is truly home for me.  Because we’ve moved so many times in the US, I have not put down deep roots in any one community.  But here my heart is truly invested, and pulling out those roots always leaves something precious behind.  We had dinner last night with Getu’s family, including Samy (17-yr-old son) and Beza (15-yr-old daughter).   I refer to them as my niece and nephew, and that is not just to be cute – I really do feel that close to them.  When we said goodbye last night, Beza squeezed me so hard for so long that I was struggling to hold back the tears.  No matter what MY plans and dreams might be, there is never a guarantee that I will return here again.  Every goodbye could be the last.  And with extremely limited communication, that goodbye is more final than most Americans with cell phones, email, and Facebook can ever imagine.  So today, as we experience the joy and sorrow of meeting Mesfin’s new baby and saying goodbye shortly after, we will experience an emotional tug-of-war.  It’s the price we pay for the opportunity to have the incredible experiences that these Lifewater trips afford.  It’s worth every emotional penny, but it strains the wallet nonetheless.