Final Thoughts

We are all so excited about our return. Tomorrow we will be back in the wonderful US of A! Jane & Chase have told me that they look forward to "familiarity" once again -- being with people who have known them for years, not repeating the initial conversations we have when we first meet people, having a history. I know lots of folks who'd like to get away from that! But once you've been without, you find yourself wanting.

Don't be misled if our family comes back to Orinda and heads in five separate directions. We still love each other, but can't wait to go our own way a little. Imagine being together for three meals a day, everyday, for 10 months.

I kept a few notes along the way of tidbits I learned or just thought about. Here are a handful:

The past is done, tomorrow may not come, but do for today what will bless someone and all will end well.

Everyone is busy, but those who take time for others can touch lives.

The getting’s in the giving.

We are human beings, not human doings (what matters is who we are, not what we do).

To live without good lighting and mirrors is to appreciate your aging face with more grace.

Often the big ideas of servanthood are greatest in the smallest moments of everyday life.

Bidets are indispensable . . . where else would one put their toilet kit?

People think their routine lives are boring, but we find happiness in the reminder of it.

Our world (and myself as part of it) is suffering from selfishness. We’ll only know moments of freedom from the consequences when we follow in the steps of the only one who ever overcame it – Jesus. To do as He would do, even with seemingly great sacrifice to ourselves, is to experience joy & peace as God planned.

Never again will we have so many photos of us taken in one year.

Parting is easier when we remember that saying goodbye means we have said hello.

The prayers of God’s people have carried us through ten months without so much as a cold, a transportation accident, or any unseen tragedy.

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or find it not . . . Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ecuador

We are back in Quito -- exactly on the equator ('qui' = center, 'to' = earth) after 10 days in the Galapagos islands. Sorry for the long delay in posting a blog, but there wasn't an internet signal strong enough to post photos out there.

Being on the equator we were able to see star constellations from both the Northern AND Southern hemispheres in the same sky! So we looked south to see our beloved Southern Cross and then a turn to the north and there was our long lost Big Dipper (although empty because it was upside down).

What a treasure! We visited six islands and saw an incredible amount of remarkable flora and fauna including land iguanas, blue-footed boobies, giant tortoises, marine iguanas and frigate birds with their big red mating balloon. The five of us have decided that this was a fantastic way to wind up our year abroad as it is a once-in-a-lifetime destination. Each island is so different and we learned all of the geological reasons why. The volcanic terrain is indescribable and fascinating.

We snorkeled nearly every day -- maybe the best I've ever seen. At different times we swam with sea lions (they are so playful), white-tipped reef sharks, sea turtles and penguins. Each one is such a thrill. And the beaches were absolutely gorgeous.

You do wish you were here! :)