a little sadness and a lot of thankfulness

Yesterday Darnell's Grandpa passed away. 

This morning my parents left Manila. 

Today I am missing home. 

Weeks can go by without a pang of homesickness, but it's caught up to me now. Today is the day for a little sadness. 

Grandpa was 93 and only in the hospital for a couple weeks before he passed away. He was a caring man and always in a jolly mood. He loved his two special grandsons. Darnell and Tyson have countless memories with him, as he became the third son when his wife died and he joined all the family holidays and outings ever since his grandsons were very young. He made it priority to watch his grandsons games.... that's where I first met Grandpa- in the stands at CBC watching Darnell play basketball. Grandpa was always friendly and welcoming to me and loved our boys very much. We will miss his presence and wish we could be home now to be with our family. We're thankful that Grandpa is with Jesus, our Lord.

Today my parents flew home. The dreaded farewell. Sometimes I feel so bad for moving their grandkids halfway across the world. Especially when my parents eyes are brimming with tears. Back to Skype visits for a while now. I'm so thankful that they could be here, though.... they were able to get to know our kids in a whole new way again. They read books with Cody, watched him climb the playground, saw him interact with our friends, played at the beach with him and laughed at his little stories, sayings and silly dances. They watched Makai stand, take a step and crawl around, kissed his soft cheeks, were victims of his flesh-biting (terrible!) habit and were witnesses to countless smiles and squeals of excitement. 

My parents also witnessed Cody's tantrums when he didn't get his way, saw him give a few pushes or smacks to his brother, heard Makai's piercing screams when he didn't want to go to sleep at night and cleaned up the mess under his highchair after a meal. They saw it all..... a lot more than the friendly smiles, little stories and blowing kisses that Skype allows, but it was good. It was life together for a brief time. We are thankful that we could be together.

tourists in Manila!

two days at a resort together!

Cody loved chilling in the hotel room and watching basketball.
So did the rest of us :)

visitors just outside our hotel room.

fun at the beach!

and saying good-bye this morning :(

Darnell and my Dad also went to Mindanao for 5 days to spend time with friends at Peacebuilders Community and they helped distribute relief to flood victims. We'll post about their experience later.

So, today I am taking some time to relax, reflect, refresh and be THANKFUL. 

i am thankful for our life here. the experience of living cross-culturally. the warmth of the sun and the warmth of the people. my community.

i am thankful for the hope we have in Christ. for Jesus' transformative power in our lives and those around us. for a life of learning, growing, renewal.

i am thankful for Grandpa. the memory of his laughter. the smile on his face when he talked to Cody. that he is with Jesus.

i am thankful for my parents. the joy of watching them laugh with our boys. their loving support. the time they have. the conversations we share. their presence.

i am thankful for home. both of them. the one i miss and the one here that i will someday also miss. 

i am thankful for my family. my fun boys. my loving husband.

thank you, Jesus. renew my heart today. refresh my being. and may my life be a witness to your love, your forgiveness and your sacrifice.