a week of good byes

I have had my husband gone for a week now. And my little boy (who isn't so little). They are at kids camp and having a great time. It is cooler there and they can play outside with other kids. Micah has really enjoyed the craft time. He even made a bird/bat house. He said we can close it up at night so no bats make it their home.

I have not been alone at home. First I had a friend stay who was leaving for America. The day after she left I had another friend come for the day who was heading to Canada. The same night that she left, a couple arrived who will stay a few days and then go to America. All the arrivals and departures are around 10:30 at night. So there has been a lot of activity at our house lately.

One nice thing about having people stay with us before they leave is that they usually leave things with us that won't fit in their luggage. Or things like shampoo that they can replace easily. So I am well stocked in that area.

One not so nice thing is that I have to be the farewell committee and I am just not good at saying good-bye. I am not emotional about the fact that I won't see that person again. I'm not hard hearted, but I am a realist. We have a lot of people who come and go. We know them for a short time and enjoy them, but then they go back to their home. We will always have them in our hearts and can stay in touch through email, but there won't be the closeness anymore.

So this time of the year there is a lot of transitions. Every week at church the pastor asks who is leaving and we say good-bye to them. In a few months it will be the time when new people arrive. That is a much more exciting time. We have also learned how to quickly get to know people. This is also a gift. Our life in America was much different. You just don't get to know people as easily. So here you meet someone once or twice and you have become friends. I really like that.

Steve and Micah return today. I had hoped for more alone time, but it just didn't happen. I am glad to have them back. I missed them. And I am glad they had such a great time at camp.