Welcome home!

Our hearts where they rocked our cradle,
Our love where we spent our toil,
And our faith, and our hope, and our honor,
We pledge to our native soil.
God gave all men all earth to love,
But since our hearts are small,
Ordained for each one spot should prove
Beloved over all.
           ~Rudyard Kipling

The view from Lanny's brother's deck

We just spent a wonderful long weekend visiting Lanny's brother in Vancouver, BC, Canada. He has lived out there for most of his adult life, so visits with him and his family are special. He lives in a lovely home in a beautiful area called Boundary Bay. His home is adjacent to a beach, and there are views from his deck of not only the water but the mountains in the distance. 

Our visit included a fun trip on the ferry out to Salt Spring Island, which is a delightfully scenic art colony. We also visited a little resort area called White Rock and most especially spent time with Jonn's daughter and her husband and her little one. We had not met little Neave until this trip and we were completely charmed by this little girl.

After 4 lovely days it was time to head for home. We had flown from Indy to Seattle, rented a car and driven north to Vancouver. We headed back the same way we had come, though somewhat reluctantly. Jonn's wife Lois had cooked up such wonderful meals we hated to leave. And while Vancouver was enjoying early spring weather with lots of sun and warmer temperatures, Indianapolis was in the throws of a spring winter storm that had dumped 6 inches of snow here. We were not eager to endure driving and flying all day to come home to that! And all the security measures makes traveling so difficult-- the lines to get through the TSA inspections, taking off my shoes, belts, and getting through that xray machine thing...I hate it!

So with heavy hearts we headed back towards Seattle. We approached the border and the inevitable wait in line to go through US Customs with trepidation.

The border inspection area was not very busy. After perhaps a 15 minute wait, with passports in hand, we approached the Customs Agent who would ask us questions about why we had left the US and what we were bringing back with us. The agent was young, clean-cut and stern. "How long have you been in Canada?" he asked. "What was the purpose of your trip?" "What do you have to declare?" We answered them all truthfully. He smiled back at us, his voice softened and he said simply, "Welcome home!" and let us pass.

I do not know why his welcome choked me up but it did. As we drove away from the inspection area my eyes welled with tears. I was reminded of how much I really love my country... something I think I had forgotten for a bit.

Welcome home!

There is so much to see in this world-- foreign lands to visit, foreign people to get to know. New foods and customs and languages to learn about. Lanny and I are finally in a place in life when we can do some of this learning and seeing and experiencing. I get so excited by it all that I forget...

Welcome home!

There is so much division in our country's politics that troubles me too. Conservatives and Liberals/Republicans and Democrats have come to a place where it seems as if there is no place for cooperation and working together. And the emphasis always seems to hinge on money... I find myself so troubled by all this I forget...

Welcome home!

Fast forward then from this encounter with the Custom's agent to a completely full airplane where the seat next to me is taken by a young man who is "traveling on orders" from the US Navy. He was on his way from one assignment to another. He had just gotten off a submarine in Seattle, where he had spent 3 months cruising underwater in a tube the size of the airplane we were in. A tube without windows. 3 months without seeing the sun or the stars or feeling the wind on his face. No tv. No telephone. Sporadic internet and email. He was on his way to his next assignment in Omaha of all places. But first, a quick visit home.

Welcome home!

Given the physical injuries suffered by so many of our service men and women, this young man's sacrifice may not seem like much. But he was in his early 20's. And he had just spent 3 months without seeing the sun or the moon or land of any kind... he'll never get that time back.

Welcome home!

With this young man's sacrifice in order to serve me and the rest of us, and the words of the US Custom's agent ringing in my ears, I am indeed reminded that I do love my country. It is, quite frankly, the best place to live in the world. We are freer than anywhere else. We are free to disagree. Free to travel.

Welcome home!

I arrived home with a renewed sense of gratitude for the country I live in. It isn't perfect. But it is home. And I was glad to be home again.

WELCOME HOME!