Going Home

I arrived home today from my vacation to unexpected news…well, somewhat unexpected. A friend is dying. His belongings are sitting in my living room waiting for a new home. Everywhere I turn, there are things that remind me that a precious life will leave this earth any second. The kids are excited to have me home. They’ve spent most of the weekend helping their father gather our friend’s belongings to donate to other families. I don’t think they quite understand what is happening though. They’ve been asking a lot of questions about my vacation but I can’t seem to stop thinking about all the stuff in my living room. Where did he get all this stuff? What memories did this stuff hold for him? It just looks like a bunch of junk to me but when I pick it up it feels valuable and it breaks my heart. A man is dying right now and he knows he's going home. He’s so aware of his own passing that he watched as everything he ever owned left his possession today and then he let himself be taken away to die, alone in peace.

On another note…vacation was just what I needed. Not because it was relaxing…although it was. But because it was soul food. You see, I have the greatest friends in the world and spending time with them fills me up. We shared stories and memories. We told secrets. We gave each other makeovers and watched movies. We cooked together and ate together. We laughed...and laughed...and laughed...going home was bittersweet.