About a month ago we packed our bags and went on an adventure. This adventure would bring us to my homeland. The place where I was born and raised. The place my heart belonged to and would have loved to stay had it not been for the call to marriage and motherhood.
We’re home now and I am both happy and sad. I’m thankful even for the ability to make that statement. There were seasons in life where I would feel that being happy to come home was a disservice to those I left behind, but leaving sad was also a disservice to those with whom I came home. I have come to realize that being able to feel both and express both is a gift. They do not cancel each other out. Both emotions are genuinely valid and possible. What an amazing creation we are!
I couldn’t journal while I was away. Besides the fact that I made sure each member of our family had a travel journal and forgot to get one for myself (face palm!), I also had no time. While Ben and the kids were tucked away somewhere reading or writing, I was soaking in every possible minute of visiting with friends and family!
This is it, then. My processing of a delightful visit to a most amazing place full of wonderful people.
We left home at around 4:30 in the morning. Mr. Trelease had spent the night with us and drove us to the airport in Montreal. Check in went slowly but well, security was a breeze and then we settled at the gate waiting for the call to board the plane. Everyone was excitedly nervous, but it wasn’t until the actual call for boarding that we really realized how nervous some of the kids were. Takeoff was scary for some, fun for most, but everyone did a fantastic job.
Within a couple hours of flying, Benny began to feel sick to his stomach. Maybe due to a mix of nerves, and a tendency to motion sickness, the poor kid ended up throwing up 7 times on that first flight!
We landed in Mexico hopeful for a restful connection. It was madness! The immigration lines were huge and we were all exhausted, hungry, and sleep deprived. Plus, we were dragging a dehydrated and depleted Benny! We didn’t fill out our immigration forms properly, so we were sent back to complete them and get back to the end of the line (!). Elena and Adriana stepped up to the plate and between the three of us we managed to correct all 9 forms and we skipped the going to the back of the line part and snuck in where I found a spot (don’t judge a mother of seven hungry kids!). Security was another circus and the trek to find the 75th gate (or so) felt an eternity.
Benny threw up two more times while waiting for the next flight, but managed to rest some.
We had some of the snacks we had packed (except Benny), and waited for the next boarding call.
Since Benny was feeling so poorly, Elena offered to take Sebastian for the next flight so that I could sit with Benny and help comfort him. Adriana sat with Victoria. Leo and Giselle sat together. We were at the very back of the plane. Ben ended up the only one sitting with a stranger. Sitting in the last two rows of the plane proved to be a blessing in the end. Although Benny managed to sleep the entire flight and not get sick again, Leo was the one to throw up twice on this flight! Giselle handled it like a pro, though! She helped her little brother, and Leo was much too excited to let that minor detail put a damper on his fun! My mom met us at the airport with a driver that we had hired. Our driver was a delightful man who loves Jesus and was kind enough to pick my mom up and bring her to meet us, and then stop back at her house before taking us to our final destination. I was able to see my dad right away.
The kids in my parents’ living room. My uncle (one of my mom’s brothers is sitting with them)
Growing up, at different seasons of life my mom’s mom, “Mamita”, lived with us and shared my room. One of the dearest wishes of my heart was to be able to go lie down with my grandma like I did when I was a little girl. As she has aged and become more limited in her mind and her body, I have longed to see her and just “be” with her.
She loved meeting all my kids. Although her reaction at finding out I had seven kids was so much fun! Especially because she kept forgetting and asking me afresh every time she saw me! I got to delight in her shock every single time I saw her!
After some food and quick “hellos”, we got back on the van/bus and took the 1-1/5 hour drive to our rental house. By the time we got there, it must have been about 9:00 p.m. local time, which meant it was 11:00 p.m. our time. It was officially the longest day we have ever lived as a family! The kids did beautifully, all things considered and what little we saw of the house at that late hour was just beautiful!!