Be it ever so humble....

I have a lot of feelings mixed up in this post. I have been procrastinating all week. Each day I have thought, I must do it, I will write about it tomorrow and then the next day and the day after that and now it is Friday and we are leaving tomorrow.

I think anyone who has moved houses, towns or countries and later gone back to visit the place they left will understand this one. It has probably happened to most of us. In our case it has happened often and when kids are involved it gets a bit trickier. 

This is particularly relevant now as I started these blogs as a way of transitioning myself from one country to another. In this case, moving from New Zealand to England. If you go back to the beginning of Collage of Life,  you will read about my thoughts on moving. If you go back to the early days of In One Place, you will find even more...that was my secret hiding place. If you go back to Finding My Way, you will find photos and thoughts on our new home in England. If you go to the B-Well Report, you will find posts on how I keep my sanity thru all of the above :)  All of this started in October 2009.  

I have written 662 posts since my first post on 24 October . I was told that one of the best ways to deal with emotions is to write about them and I have been pounding away at the keys ever since and loving every minute of it. It all came from one simple line 'shape that thoughts that stir within'.  Hey..it is cheaper than therapy, right?


The best part is that we are hopping on a plane tomorrow and going back to visit two of my children, Miss Tine and Patrick who are attending University in New Zealand and Australia. An added bonus it that we are also going to the welcoming arms of dear friends too.


I had a dream last night and have not stopped smiling since. The doorbell rang in my dream and I opened the door and there were my two oldest yelling 'surprise'. To have all my family under one roof for any amount of time would be one of the most precious gifts I could receive. It makes the packing that much sweeter.


There is a life here that we all enjoy and are settling into nicely. There are points in time when you feel 'the shuffle'..the shuffle of emotions. The ones that make you feel like you are on a roller coaster and you are not sure if you want to get off or keep going. 


Three months, six months and a year are major turning points. Every book written about life changes and moving talks about them. We are at the six month point and traditionally when we go back we leave happy for the visit but also happy to return to our lives in our new home country. It is sort of a rite of passage. Sounds strange but it works. Well, it works but you do have to keep your fingers crossed that it will all go according to plan. We all know what life is like and it is those little mysteries that keeps us on our toes.


Hence, Collage of Life,  all of this is what life is made of. For me it centers around the home.......be it ever so humble, there is no place like home. In our case...make that times four...America, England, Australia and New Zealand. I really do hope it stops there!


I think Miss Claire's paintings say it all. 'Kia Ora' is hello in Maori.  Her first love is soccer and this is her running thru all the countries she has lived in. 

With that I say  E noho ra (good bye)

but not for long...in fact when you least expect it,

I will be back :)

Best wishes for a glorious weekend!!

Jeanne :)