Today was our last Mass at Saint Thomas of Canterbury Church. Without school or a workplace, this community was essentially our social life for the past few months. What a blessing it has been. It felt like a home away from home. One week after we arrived, the church hosted a Harvest Supper and we attended, thinking we may as well jump right in and meet the parishioners. One lovely lady commented today about how we become part of the community so quickly. I am glad we did because these four months have flown by. That night, we met three families who have been so kind to us. We had a farewell dinner tonight with two of them. The hard part about being here just four months is, by the time you get your bearings and start relationships, it is time to go home.
No regrets about our time here except that I wish I had written more, both on the blog and in my journal. Wanting to get it perfect often stopped me. I use it as an excuse for many things. Here are a few things I forgot to mention:
Forgot to mention how funny it was to hear a dignified older lady call out, "Does anyone have a rubber?" when I asked for an eraser.
Forgot to mention the over eager, Type A personality immigration officer who greeted us in Calais on our return from Austria. That story is available upon request and will have you in stitches.
Forgot to mention a thousand little sights and sounds that I wanted to share but couldn't put into words.
Forgot to mention that Facebook is fabulous and has been such a lifeline this fall.
Forgot to mention that one of my best friends decided to let me know that it has been nice knowing me but I have really been a crappy friend these past years. Yeah, that was tough.
Forgot to mention that they actually have a dessert here called "Spotted Dick pudding."
Forgot to mention that living in this house is like your front window overlooking Lake Pontchartrain with the bonus of Audubon Park out your back gate.
Forgot to mention the nearly two weeks of daily rainbows. You don't see many rainbows in New Orleans so they still take my breath away.
Forgot to describe the passing parade of boats and ships- cargo ships piled high with brightly colored containers, sailboats gliding effortlessly past, massive cruise ships adorned with twinkling lights.
Forgot to mention just how much I have loved writing this blog and sharing things with you. I can't thank you enough for taking the time to read and share our journey.
Dina
PS. Hope you'll come back for just a few more posts.
Dina, the friend that said you weren't really a friend doesn't know what she's talking about. You have more friends then most people I know, who really love you and love being with you. What a loss for her. God knew she really wasn't a true friend to you so He did you a favor and now she's our of your life. Thank God for that. When I think of her the word ENVY creeps into my mind.
ReplyDeleteI have loved reading your eloquent (is that spelled right?) writing...it's something I didn't know about you....I still think you should write a children's book "The Zelden's Go to England"!! I hope that you will continue writing when you get home ....at least to capture the new adventure of settling back into "home". Are the kids anxious to return to school and see their friends again?
ReplyDeleteSafe travels........
Dale