Bad Case of the Homesickness this Week

I guess I've never really been away from home long enough to know deep down homesickness.  I used to go to camp for three weeks at a time, and I would get a little homesick then.  In college, I got homesick, but that was sort of complicated for other reasons.

But oh, man, I'm having a flair up now.  My sweet friend and fellow "transplated Tex(strali)an" Raina-in-Australia right calls it "profound," and she is right on with that, because it reaches down deep into places you don't expect.

An interesting reflection is this: being homesick doesn't mean you aren't really happy where you are.  I am happy with my students, my growing friendships, my house, the kids' school, and everything else.  Good grief: my kids are each learning two new languages.  Jack is making a claymation movie and is scheduled to go on a field trip to one of the UAEs next month.  Hank is doing a cultural study on the Blues (style of music) and learning to play the violin.  [He says his teacher is "a hottie."  Will this encourage him to stick with the lessons?  We shall see.] John is doing amazing "new" work in development.  We live in a nice, big house and drive good cars.  I'm able to take two graduate courses that I otherwise couldn't afford. We are making an incredible home-away-from-home for ourselves.  I have no personal wants or complaints.  Period.

But when I think about the fall weather and the approaching holiday season and the upcoming birth of a very dear friend's baby.  Well, let's just say today is messy.

So I'm posting these photos from a year ago, October 2009.  They bring me a lot of joy and a lot of homesickness all at once.

Last October, we spent the night at the Waco Zoo with a group of former cub scouts.  This was one of the best kid adventures I have ever had.  We got to go "behind the scenes" and feed the big cats, giraffes, and rhinos at night.  We got to spend the night in the aquarium house.  And a previous cub scout fundraiser meant it was all free.

That lady with the wagon in the back is my precious Angie, whose baby is due soon.  Not being there to support her, to cheer her on, and to get my hands on that tiny little new friend...these things are feeding my homesickness most of all. 

 Although the leaves shouldn't be turning yet, I occasionally look at the Texas weather and see lows in the low 50's and upper 40's.  See their long pants and jackets?  A breeze was probably blowing, too.  There's a breeze blowing in Doha right now...and the light has changed...you know how it does when the days start getting shorter...so I keep thinking that when I open the door, the breeze will be cool and refreshing.

The temperature here is 99 with a "Real Feel" of 112.  That's coolER than 120 with a real-feel of 135.  Somehow, it's not cutting it for "cool breeze" today.

October of course makes me think of Halloween.  This is Hannah last year on trick or treat day at school.  Her best friend Audrey, who is next to her dressed as a princess, Hannah asks about every day.  She says that we will fly Audrey here for her birthday party next June.  Hannah was a cat in a tutu.  I made the tutu, tail, and ears.  Somehow, when she got to school, she got incredibly shy...yes, she used to be that way. It was also raining.  [I'm sorry, what?  What is rain?  I haven't seen any since June?]  The rain prevented us from doing trick-or-treat on the square.  So the people from the town businesses all lined up under a covered walkway and the kids ran the "candy gauntlet."  The business owners in Franklin are so sweet and generous at Halloween.  It is a really wonderful thing.

Of course, October means Jacky Jack's birthday.  He'll be 10 in just 25 days.  He's missing his Franklin best friends but is really thriving here, wandering the compound, meeting new people, and soaking up the different approach to school.  I'm so so so proud of him, and that has nothing to do with being homesick.

Enough self-indulgence. 
Time to yank up my Mama Briefs and go get the kids from the school bus... :)