In early July after an exhausting couple of weeks of work for me (Deanna), we headed home for my sister's wedding which meant that EVERYONE was in Oregon! My parents picked us up from the airport (after LONG flights - made even longer by a curious toddler) and drove us out to their place. The drive out to their house offers breathtaking views of Mt Hood and seeing Oregon again made me realize how much I miss the mountains!
We had so much fun introducing Nora to the cousins she hadn't met yet on my side of the family. Luckily she didn't have to wait long because my parents organized a family picnic.
There are lots of really great things about living in England. Oxford certainly has its charm and the last thing I want to do is complain about God bringing us here. However, it is absolutely terrible being so far away from my family. I recently read this and it resonated with me,
"My mom and dad and brother [and sisters] have grown through the years into my closest friends,
the people who tell me the most searing truth, who give me soft places to rest and present to me a
bright future when the only one I can see from my vantage point is dim and breaking before my
eyes. Families can go either way, and I take no credit for the way we've gone. I accept it like a gift
or a winning lottery ticket, and I hold that ticket in my hand tightly, and I take every chance I can
get to be with them, for an afternoon, for a weekend, for a vacation, and every moment feels like
being given one more winning ticket." - Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines
I hate being far away from the people we love. I want my dad to teach Nora to fish, just like he taught me. I want my mom to teach her how to play the piano. I want her to know her Aunt Trinette's laughter and joy. I want her to know her Aunt Larissa's compassionate heart and fierce devotion. I want her to understand that although her Uncle Nick can be a man of few words -minus the sarcastic comments- when he does get talking, it is so worth listening. I want her to hear her Aunt Linnaea sing because when she does, she lights up the room. I want her to have slumber parties and birthday parties and Christmases with her cousins. I guess because it is all these people, all these things that have made me who I am and have made me feel loved and known despite my many flaws and I am so very very grateful.
Dear family,
I love you and I miss you.
Love,
Deanna
