With that said, my time back has been a bit of a blur. To be back in Texas at my home was amazing. They say that you don't miss something until it's gone but I don't think I ever realize how much I miss home until I am back. I had two beautiful weeks filled with all of my favorite things much like the two that preceded my summer. BBQ pork ribs, wiener roasts, hamburgers, gizzards on the pit, fried steak, steak wrapped in bacon, head sausage, kolaches...I pretty much made up for all of the meat deprivation I had this summer (not to say that the pasta wasn't absolutely delicious every time!). I also enjoyed the time spent with my family from domino playing nights to cards to pitching washers, showing my slideshow, chasing after a bird dog on the loose, or just talking about nothing and everything.
Hallettsville doesn't seem to have changed a bit minus the groundbreaking for a Pizza Hut (of which my feelings are a bit mixed seeing that eating American pizza now seems a bit like treason). I couldn't wipe the smile off my face all during my first daily mass back. Everything was so heartwarmingly familiar. Even the smell of the church scented of home. I also got to once again experience the unplanned catching up conversations that one can't avoid at a small town Walmart. It's amazing how one actually subconsciously budgets time in one's mind for going to town because it is inevitable to recognize nearly every face and stop to talk to at least a few. And as usual, the Lord was good to me in this regard because I was able to "run into" those who I haven't seen in a few years. Leaving was tough because each time I realize more how precious and rare the love I have there really is.
On a different note, it is very comforting to not have to worry about a language barrier here in the States but I have to admit I miss Italian terribly. Sometimes I still find myself forming sentences to prepare for an upcoming conversation before I remember that, as a native English speaker, I don't have to think in Italian with my fellow Americans.
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| Grandma fixing my mess of kolache dough! |
Calling moving back to A&M a hassle might not cover the half of it. After 2 months living out of a carry on I found myself overwhelmed by the amount of clothes I have. Needless to say I tried my hardest to downsize my closet as well as in other categories of household objects. This process I did slowly throughout my two weeks home and finally Mom and Dad moved me up last Saturday. Believe it or not - although to believe it shouldn't be too hard - I just barely "finished" unpacking and arranging things today. (I am pretty much done at least.) I really like this new place. It is exciting to make it my home and I think I have much more room now. But as far as homes go in Bryan/College Station, there is nothing quite like St. Mary's. At mass this passed Sunday my heart was warmed all over as I caught eyes of many of my closest friends here. There is such a strong sense of family in this community or at least in the community of my close knit friends. To see them and embrace them is to truly embrace those that I love and want the best for.
And to keep it short, I'll end with a little story. I've been hanging out with different people all week and at one point during a fit of laughter and throw back music Monday night, I turned to my new roommate Alycia and said (and I quote) "I love my life." This moment for me was really defining because it happened so innocently and unplanned. There I was, a girl who just spent her dream summer in Italy, and yet I possessed all the joy I could ever need right there in route on good ole Welborn Road. What's the moral of the story Cherise? Well, it's not that I wasn't filled with joy in Italy. I was. Definitely. The moral is that I am filled with just as much joy here in every day things as I was there in extraordinary things. It is beautiful to get out and see the wonders that the Lord has created on this earth but those things will not fulfill you. What fulfills you is love and when you are surrounded by people you love, as I was blessed to be both in Italy and here, then you can't escape joy. (And for those of you who haven't seen The Giver, go because I want to spoil it for you all and expand on this post but out of the kindness of my heart, I will resist the tremendous temptation!) Just think about a time when you truly felt joy. In at least some way wasn't it tied to love?
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