7/30/11
After a summer full of highs and lows, I am finally home safe and sound after a week of near perfection at the beach with my family. I think along with ‘hope‘ and ‘peace‘ I’ll be adding ‘home‘ to my list of favorite words. I am grateful to recognize how blessed I am to have such a loving, welcoming, and fun home to return to. I’m not sure what I did to deserve it, but God has smiled on me in my life, and I am so thankful for it.
I left Uganda Sunday evening, but not without a few tears at the ticket counter where Kenya Airways was convinced that I had missed my flight. They eventually figured it out, and after 25 hours of traveling (with Simon and Garfunkel and Billy Joel in my head the whole time) my plane landed on time in Atlanta, and all of my luggage appeared, too. My mom welcomed me at the top of the escalator with a sign for ‘Muzungu’ and a giant hug and a few tears between the two of us. She drove me home while I called everyone I could to tell them I had made it and to finally hear voices from home. I had the greatest shower ever, the best meal ever, and a great night’s rest. Ted met us at the house with all of the food I had mentioned I wanted when I got back, including Willy’s cheese dip. He seems like a pretty good one. All in all, it was a great homecoming.
Tuesday morning Mom and I drove by my apartment to sign the silly paperwork, and I got to hug Jess and catch up for a few minutes. I have missed her! I can’t wait to catch up with all of my friends in the next two weeks. I think it’s going to be a fun rest of summer before school starts. We went back to the airport for Amy, and then made the drive to the beach. We listened to Mom’s favorite CDs that we’ve listened to while driving to the beach over the past decade or two. The Dixie Chicks, Jo Dee Messina, and Shania Twain were good company, and Taylor Swift and Glee’s version of “Singin in the Rain” made their way into Mom’s repertoire this year.
We were welcomed to the Hoffman/Grizzle house on Tarpon with a few deer in the yard, a ton of hugs, and lasagna in the oven. We have stayed in the same house for 23ish years now, and it feels as much like home as any other house, even if we are outgrowing it slightly. Uncle Chris and Aunt Carol, along with the help of everyone else, had made banners welcoming me home, one signed by all the family, one with the names and things I’d talked about in Uganda, and one with a list of things I was thankful to come home to. I definitely teared up, and loved that homecoming, too. A little rain on Wednesday meant I got to finally see Harry Potter with Mitch, Carter, and Ryan, but the sun stayed out after that and I got in good beach time with my sisters and cousins, and we got to walk on the beach every night. Fripp Island really is my happy place, and since I’ve known it longer than any other place, I might start referring to it as my hometown one of these days.
I’ve been reflecting on Uganda these past few days, and my attention span has not been long enough to really process all I learned and all that I think my experiences there will come to mean. Right now, the best I can do is look at the sign Uncle Chris and Aunt Carol made with names and places and know that those will always have a place in my heart. I’ve also sniffed every piece of clothing as it has come out of the dryer and been reminded of just how spoiled I am. We are all so blessed in so many ways that we take for granted daily, and I hope that if nothing else just that small piece of knowledge will stick with me.
I think this will be my last public list of things I’m thankful for. I’m pretty sure I’ll continue keeping up with the list on my own, but I’d like to keep this blog specific to my African experience. I’ll probably try to figure out a way to print it and keep it at some point to look back on. Thank you to every single one of you for reading, commenting, emailing, calling, encouraging, and praying while I was gone. Whether I talk to you every day or haven’t seen you since I was in elementary school, the words, letters, banners, cards, pictures, and thoughts meant more than you could ever know.
I’m thankful...
1. for Willy’s cheese dip. It really was all I hoped it would be.
2. for giant hugs at the airport after long and cranky flights. I’ll never be too old for giant hugs from my mom.
3. for giant hugs at the Fripp house. I won’t outgrow my dad’s hugs either, or the rest of the family’s hugs for that matter.
4. for funny cousins to chase down the beach. It was fun to play again.
5. for the time and effort put into some signs to welcome me home. They really did make me very happy.
6. for big sisters. Amy wore a dress in my honor, and Ashley showered me with Mary Kay cosmetics, Pringles, and Cheerwine.
7. for fabric softener. Hanging clothes dry will just never compare.
8. for my parents, again. They’ve spoiled me rotten for a week, and I’ve been soaking it up.
9. for hot showers with fantastic water pressure.
10. for shrimp and grits. Another one of the best meals ever.
11. for sea turtles. I didn’t get to see one this year, but they really are the coolest animals (they might even beat penguins), and I’m glad Fripp is working hard to save some more.
12. for the magic of drinkable water from a sink.
13. for a safe trip home for all of the Grizzles.
14. for my beautiful and newly cleaned car waiting for me in the garage.
15. for reliable flushing toilets.
16. to be able and look back and read all of my adventures, good and bad, and know that I have had a once in a lifetime experience. I’m pretty sure like most other things in life, this trip is going to mean more and more as time goes on and I realize more of the impact it had on my life. I’m grateful for all of it, but I like my American life, too, and I can’t wait to get back to that one for awhile.
Thanks again to all of you and your support. I love you all!
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