As many know our first, second, and third pregnancies began and ended here. Those memories are not all bad. As we spend the last night in our English home, we are reminded of so many good experiences that we have enjoyed here. I will let you in on a few of them.
Traveling! We have been lucky enough to have seen so many countries and places that most people never get to see. From the Louvre to the Trevi Fountain and even Anne Frank's childhood home, we have seen them with our own eyes and not in pictures. Exploring Greece and Pompeii for hours and having the best pizza in the world in Chris's home country of Malta. There really is no better pizza than that of Ir-Rokna such that we make sure to go there at least twice when visiting family.
Family! For many years we lived close to my family while in Georgia and leaving home broke my heart. On the upside, coming to England meant being closer to a majority of Chris's family that still reside in Malta. The first year we were married, we traveled to Malta and I remember calling home on Christmas Day. I cried so hard because I was homesick. This past Christmas we again spent in Malta and not once was I homesick. The island that my husband grew up on has become one of the few places I feel immensely comfortable in and I have grown to love for so many reasons.
Exploring! Ok so somewhat like traveling, but not exactly. You see, for us to explore we really only have to walk out into the woods in front of our lovely English home. Miles and miles of trails to see all kinds of wildlife such as hedgehogs and slugs that are just as big as baby snakes. A favorite place of both of ours is Bury St. Edmunds, a lovely old town with some beautiful old churches and lovely shops, but best of all Abbey Gardens. One of the first pictures we took upon arrival to England was in the Abbey and it will likely be the place we miss the most. Feeding squirrels there has recently become a favorite pass time as one of the stores has started selling nuts for fifty pence a bag not far from the entrance to the gardens. There really are no words for how beautiful the gardens there really are and they will forever be etched in our memories.
We have also been blessed in that we were able to share our home and places we love here with the people who have visited. Out of all the friends and family that we have been honored to have in our home, I will always remember seeing our friend Craig's expressions and smiles as he explored Abbey Gardens with us. Although, I do not think that I nor Mandy will forget our long journey through the woods geocaching recently, too much longer and our husbands may have starved. Some really memorable times for all involved.
As we start moving on it also means packing up and going through items that have been shoved in boxes and drawers to be ignored as long as possible. We both have been reminded of our first pregnancy recently when the drawer full of our baby items had to be opened and gone through. Although, we both still wonder and I for one still cry looking at those items, it wasn't all bad. From telling our family to our friends and even the look on Chris's face when he saw the test, those are memories we will always treasure. For a really long time I have often felt guilty for feeling as sad as I sometimes do. Recently, a dear friend told me that she often still cries for her son who passed way to early in life. I answered her back with the thought that she had memories of her son who was in his thirties when he died and to that she replied that she did not think I should feel guilty for being sad because I was mourning the memories we did not get to make with our child. Somehow the words of my friend have helped me to feel a lot less guilty for the tears that sometimes still roll down my face when I least expect it. Although we have grown to love it here so much, it is definitely time for us to start moving on.
No comments:
Post a Comment