There's something so sweet about being reunited with friends. Jared and Jenny arrived safely from Oklahoma on Saturday night and we greatly enjoyed their company. Without any planning on our part, our apartment was a hub of activity all weekend. We're so thankful for our visitors! We shared many memories of Japan together, along with Rusty and Rachel Woods who have just returned from Mito, and who now live just two doors down from us. Those who have not lived in Japan might well have heard more than they ever cared to know about our time there. But it was good to laugh. And we laughed hard. I don't think the memories from our schools, apartments, church, language blunders and every day life in Japan will ever fade. I hope they will never be just 'distant memories'. Thanks Jared, Jenny, Rusty and Rachel for taking us back and making those memories so vivid. And thanks to the others who endured the stories and even laughed along with us!
I often regret not staying just that one year longer as AETS in Mito. For some reason, Jason and I, newly weds at that time, were eager to take on the world in a capacity outside of being an AET. I had been in Japan for three and a half years, and Jason for two. We left Japan 'wanting more' (of Japan). (which I still say is better than wanting less!). And after 3 months of visiting family and friends in Queensland, New South Wales, California, Oklahoma and Tennessee, we found ourselves back in the 'normal' world...looking for jobs and a niche. We didn't find it where we were looking and so set out for Tennessee drawn by the Campbells, the Graduate school and Park Avenue Congregation.
Three and a half years down the road, the pain and regret of wishing we had stayed 'just one more year' is lessened by the rich friendships we have formed since August 4th 2002, and by the continuation of friendships we left behind in a physical sense. We can't imagine our lives without those experiences and friendships from Japan. The same goes for our lives pre-Japan. Ditto for Memphis. And I have a hunch that we will look back and say the same for each place God takes us from here.
1 comment:
Beautifully written... thanks for sharing your thoughts. Reunions are so sweet. I think they must be one way we catch a glimpse of what heaven will be like.
Post a Comment