Home

Wow.  G and I are liars.  Big time.  And we're quite good at it.  And planning.  And plotting.  We didn't make plans with any co-workers.  Three weeks before Thanksgiving I asked G if we could swing going home, and he helped work it out.  So last Wednesday when G got off work we packed up the car and headed out for a long drive home.  We parked in front of a neighbors house, snuck around the back of my parents house and opened the back door into the kitchen saying, "We have been on a pilgrimage and we hear you need pilgrims!"  My mother turned and looked at me.  And you could have heard a pin drop.


Nothing.  Absolutely no reaction for a second, and I began to worry.  No need, after that 1 second for her brain to register that yes, indeed we were there, she began to make a scene worthy of a million dollar check!  We wish we had caught it on video.  "Oh my God!  Oh my God!  You're here!  What are you doing here?!?  Oh my God!"  All this was shrieked loud enough my poor 81 year old grandmother thought she had dropped the turkey and burnt herself, and my mother just cried.  She kept saying all day that it was the best Thanksgiving ever.  And miracle of all miracles we didn't argue once the whole damn time we were home.  


We also saw G's parents a few times while we were home, and I got a nice evening of talking and drinking excessive amounts of coffee with my best friend (I was right, she and my husband get along far more than I could have ever hoped for.....it's kinda scary!).  It was a wonderful long weekend, and we were genuinely sad to go.  But we're headed back in a few weeks for Christmas!  (my maman has informed me she's missing me already)


I am so very thankful that we have our home here, but also will always have homes back with our families.  We're even considering applying to live closer next time (something we might have possibly avoided like the plague this time, just maybe).  My maman and I cannot see each other too often, because we do tend to drive the other batty, but more often would be nice.  I used to relate to the Rascal Flatts lyrics, "I never dreamed home would end up where I don't belong." because my mother and I fought like cats and dogs about practically anything, and I knew it was time to move on.  But now, my maman recognizes that I am an adult, and I respect that she has more experience in some things than I do.  Home is exactly where I belong, no matter which place it is.  And this season I have never been more thankful for this life I've been given.