View Larger Map
When I exhale, it genuinely feels as if all of the air is leaving my lungs. I don’t know if I’ve gotten a chance to genuinely exhale since I’ve left. It’s as if I’ve held on to a small pocket of air down at the bottom of my lung in case of emergency. It’s feels good to get all that residual carbon dioxide out once and for all.
On Sunday, we had a wonderful visit with Julie’s sister Jeanette and her family, and later in the evening, her brother Jeff came over with her family. I am always amazed at how quickly we can fall into familiar patterns and rhythms with good friends and family regardless of how much time has passed since we last saw one another. Sincere relationships I believe are marked by how well they endure over time and distance. I am not particularly good at maintaining contact with people that are dear to me (alas, facebook has not solved that problem for me); however, the friendships I have formed throughout my travels have been genuine, and instead of awkwardness, it has been a real joy to reconnect with some of these people.
When visiting cousins on the Nelson side, it’s best to approach any field of battle well armed. We will not be caught unprepared.
On Monday we entered Rexburg. For the most part, the drive along the highway was familiar, but the changes that have taken place here really started to come into focus when we saw the temple, I knew intellectually that the town had grown, and that the campus had expanded. But to see the changes has been more overwhelming than I would have expected. I have to admit that in spite of some of the added conveniences, I miss the intimacy of a smaller town. Julie says that my disdain for progress is a sign of me getting old. I’d like to disagree with her, but she’s probably right. I just know that it’s hard to feel nostalgia for a place you barely recognize anymore.
Monday night we celebrated Kathy’s birthday with a family talent show. There’s a lot of musical talent in this family, and it can be a little intimidating when your talents don’t lend themselves so much to performance, but it was great to hear some of the kids sing.
Tuesday was spent at Jeff’s house. It was raining and hailing, but none of the kids seemed to notice. That afternoon, we nice visit with the Comeaus who seem to be thriving in Rexburg even if they can’t get anyone to pronounce their name correctly. On Tuesday night we had a great visit from Shauna Samuelson.
Bob and Kathy have been great hosts and the kids have really enjoyed connecting with their grandparents. There’s lots for the kids to see and do in the house, and they’ve been too long away from a piano.
No comments:
Post a Comment