April 19, I once again, made a visit to my
family in Omaha and Chicago. This time
I was returning for my grandson
Zachary’s fifth birthday. It seems
incredible to me that he’s already 5, but
the calendar tells me it’s so.
An added bonus this trip is that Jonathan, my middle son who is a Marine, just so happened to be home on his pre-deployment leave. (Thank you, God, for unexpected gifts!) He returned a short while ago after spending about 9 months shipboard, in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Now he will be leaving shortly for Afghanistan, and this was his assigned time to return home before departure. When I moved to Guatemala last June one of the hardest things was not knowing when I would get to see all my kids together again. So this was a real treat!
The Forster Kids
Mikayla, holding Nate, Jeremy, Joel, Jonathan, holding Zach
So, for Zach’s birthday party, we had the whole family together again. And Zach reaped the benefits in terms of his gifts. There was plenty of time to play with his gifts, afterwards, too.
I had Easter dinner with Jeremy and his family, and then he and Lindy took off for the Amana Colonies for two days, giving Grandma a chance to spend extended time with her boys. While I thoroughly enjoyed the time with Zach and Nate, I understand even better why God gave me children while I was younger. Man, after two days, I was beat! I sure enjoyed the time with them, though. Zach is such a conversationalist now, and Nate has changed so much since I was back last November, that I realize even more the wisdom of these semi-annual visits.
This year, for the first time, Zach had a hard
time understanding why I had to leave
again. When I explained about “my” kids at
Hermano Pedro, he responded, “But you’re
MY grandma, not theirs.” Explaining to him
that the kids in the orphanage didn’t have
any other grandma helped a little, but he
only settled for saying, “Okay, Grandma, but
I not happy!”
On my way back, I’ve spent a few days with my brother and sister in Chicago, catching up and sorting through some of the belongings still left from my mother. We shared a number of meals and laughs together, and I got to see my great-niece Elayna, and found out she would be welcoming a brother or sister in October. Why does “great-aunt” sound so much older to me than grandma?
I may not have a granddaughter,
but having a grand-niece comes close!
In all, it was a great trip to the States, but I’m anxious to get back home tomorrow. I miss my friends and family in the US, there’s no doubt about that. But home, for me now, really is in Guatemala. . .
(I’ll be back in September, and hope to see everyone then who I missed on this trip.)
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