Memories

This first month and a half in Colombia has taught me something: the relationships we have with those who love us are worth more than just about anything.

I think I took it for granted that my family and friends were there and present all those years and now it's hitting me: mom's not here to take care of me anymore. While she's always going to be there for me when she can, the time has passed for me to rely on her. That sacred milestone that we call high school graduation has come and gone and I'm on my own now. The Monday nights spent with my friends may continue in the summers, but they'll never be the same. Likewise high school concerts, lunch conversations, classes, and inside jokes with my classmates are history.

But the thing that surprises me is how much I remember. Certain facial expressions, the color of a friend's favorite shirt, the taste of a favorite meal, the layout and random details of my house... So many seemingly insignificant things are embedded in my mind as if I saw them yesterday. I've found that they keep me sane in this country where everything is new and exotic. When I feel like a stranger in a foreign land all I have to do is remember that I'm not so quiet when surrounded by my own language, or that where I come from blonde hair and t-shirts are fairly common. It's not that I feel superior or that I have to justify and defend every difference, it's just that standing out everywhere one goes is grating on a person. We all want to be accepted and loved for who we are, which brings me back to my first sentence: the relationships we have with people who love us unconditionally are worth more than just about anything. (Anything, that is, besides our relationship with God, but that, you'll note, is a relationship as well!)

So while they last, I urge you to enjoy the moments you have with those who love you. Treasure the shared mealtimes and the long walks on crisp fall evenings. Guard these memories and store them in your heart, for they go a long way in preserving your soul when times get tough and you're a stranger in a foreign land.