My sister described it perfectly: at the end of Return of the King, the four hobbits are sitting around a table, sipping on their ales quietly. All around them, their world has gone on exactly the same, completely oblivious to the life-changing experiences they had just endured for the past 13 months. All the singing, dancing, laughing and carrying on hasn't changed at all, except one thing; them. There the one's who have changed. That's almost exactly how I feel after spending a little over a week in the DR last week. A friend of mine sent me a picture on Twitter shortly after completing my first travel assignment, and it read: "it's a funny thing, coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what's changed is you."
It's a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald. So now I'm wondering, where do I go from here? How do I move forward, carrying what I have learned and experienced with me? To be honest I really don't think there's an easy way to do that. The day before we left for the city we were staying in, Jarabacoa, my pastor's wife said we can handle the returning of being back home in one of two ways; we can choose to be angry at how selfish, rude and greedy we are, or we can be joyful and grateful for what we do have. The latter sounds like a much better plan for me. I may write a bit more as I think of memories, stories or thoughts, but for now this is all I've got. I return to work on Thursday. I hope that my attitude changes, the way I interact with those changes and that I just take time to stop and pray and think if I need to. One day at a time, one moment at a time.
 |
| Supposed to be scary faces... |
 |
| the clear blue Carribean |
 |
| Our team, plus a few extra folks :) |
 |
| :) |
 |
| Selfie! |
Comments
Post a Comment
Questions, comments and concerns are always welcome, so long as they are pertinent to the content of the post, aren't rude or offensive. Thank you for reading and being respectful in sharing your thoughts! :)