Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Home

[I feel like this is all going to be very random]

I'm finally home! This morning when I woke up (at 6:45am?!), I woke up in another world. It felt strange to wake up in my American bed, under my blankets, next to a closed window, where I felt carpet under my feet, and turned on a light, and I pushed a button to flush the toilet, then I came downstairs, opened the fridge and poured a glass of oj and sat down in front of the tv with my parents. Talk about strange!

I have eaten 4 salads and had probably too much milk in less than 24 hours.

My sister is getting married in 9 days...which is crazy! And, it's unbelievable that it's almost Christmas; I never entertained the idea until I landed in Brussels and there were Christmas lights around the airport. And, Brussels was miserably freezing!! It was 32 degrees when I landed.

This morning, I've had the house to myself. I don't know why, but I have gone into every room and just looked around at all of the stuff. I even stood at the pantry for a few minutes, just surveying everything on the shelves. It's crazy! We have too much stuff. I feel like I am too blessed, but I also feel very wasteful. America is the land of plenty and want.

My brain has been running at a million miles a minute this morning. I've had so many thoughts, too many to write down. One minute I'm thinking about how fabulous it is to eat a bowl of cereal with real milk, and the next minute I'm thinking about what the children at Childcare Foundation are doing right now...and about how they are probably hungry.

One thing I'm sure of is that our God is good. Even as my plane was descending into Atlanta, I couldn't help but look out over my familiar city that's a world away from Liberia and sing "How Great is Our God".

Just from the last 24 hours, I think there are going to be alot of quiet times where I just need to listen and respond. I think God has alot to say, and I have plenty to learn. I pray that these next few months at home are fruitful and that I use my time wisely. I miss Liberia. Even though I'm home with my family (and all of my family's shenanigans), I'm happy but I miss Liberia. More than anything, I think that I am grateful. Grateful for everything.

2 comments:

Elena said...

Awwwww.
Reading this makes me think of the conversation we had at lunch on my last day in Liberia ... about change ... and adapting ... and how some things just won't ever be the same ...
I miss you! :)

Andysbethy said...

Welcome "home". At least it is warm here right now, unlike a few weeks ago. I know it can't compare to Liberia, but trust me, you wouldn't have liked it over Thanksgiving! It was cold, at least for GA.
I remember what you are feeling right now. That absolute appreciation for everything. Some people never get to experience that. I guess it dims a little with time, when you readjust to "normal life", but I think even the dimmed down version of appreciation is better then never feeling it at all. I loved your quote about "a land of plenty and want". That is a perfect description.
I've really enjoyed your story over the last few months. I found you because of Gifty, but if it is okay, I will stick around.
Blessings, Bethany