I have never been away from home for two months. It was a really long time for me, and sometimes it was pretty hard. But, you know how it is, right? When you believe you are doing the right thing, you keep your focus on the priority and press on. There’s just about nothing we cannot get through, if we have our eyes focused on the right priority.

Being there, though, was such a gift. Oh, my goodness! Through the goodwill of the family, God gave me the gift of all that time with my Mother-in-Law. I never expected this would happen, you know? I hoped for a chance, as I shared in a blog post earlier this year, but I never could have imagined such a generous gift. I am so grateful, and I hope and pray it was a blessing to her. It really was for me, as my one, last chance to show her how much I love her, and how much she meant to me.

I am home now, though. Everything that was on hold has fallen back into play, so there is a lot of work to do to catch-up, and keep-up. There is a potential for some real change in our life—we don’t know what, but we just feel like God can do anything He wants to with us. The Lord seems to be calling us to a season of just listening, one day at a time. Arizona was like a testing ground for this new (to us) way of following Him. He sure proved Himself, though, in ways that leave me in awe. Maybe, I’ll share all the behind-the-scenes stuff with you one day. Or, maybe, you’ll just have to take my word for it! 🙂

Being away, you always miss someone, or something. It is understandable that I missed things and people here, but I was in Arizona long enough to get used to certain things, and build new relationships there that really matter to me now. So, here are two short lists of things I missed, and things I will miss. A Top Ten, I guess.

What I Missed 

1. My family
2. Having pets
3. Friends
4. My bed
5. My garden
6. Autumn leaves
7. The First Snow!
8. Family routines
9. Good prices at the grocery store
10. My way of eating

What I Miss Now

1. My family there
2. Marlene’s garden
3. The dishwasher
4. Cacti
5. The caramel corn
6. The use of a car
7. The desert weather in late Autumn and Winter
8. An awesome array of produce
9. Having a laundry room
10. Watching the quail with my morning coffee

It was 17 years since the last time I was in Arizona, but I don’t think I will be able to stay away for very long anymore. I am home now, but a part of me is always going to be there.