Back at the Ranch

The days following our return from our traveling holiday were spent resting, restoring our house to some semblance of order (we had left it tidy, but hordes of stuff just seemed to overtake the place upon our return), and for me, blogging. Brendan teased me for being obsessed. Guilty as charged.

I love keeping this blog. It gives me an opportunity to record the things we’ve done and share them with others. It provides a written memory of my family’s life and makes me feel more connected to people back home. It gives me a chance to share my son’s cuteness:

Taken in Bastogne, Belgium

…and relate important details about our activities, such as Brendan's expert performance of the fountain pose at various places in Europe:

The Hague

Palais du Louvre

Arche de Triomphe

I love having a writing project that encourages me to think about the things I’m doing and gives me a venue to share my reflections. For instance:

I spent a lot of time on this trip thinking about why I like traveling. It’s exciting to see new things, but that’s not the heart of it. You can only look at so many buildings before you get tired looking at them, no matter how fancy they are. No, we did not come to Scotland or go to England, the Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, and Belgium just to look at buildings (or paintings, or rivers, or holes in the ground, for that matter). We came to experience life from a different perspective. And we took this three and a half week trip to see things, but also to steep ourselves in history, to learn, to open our minds to what the world has to offer, and our hearts to the experience of life. Of course, not everyone who travels does this, and you don’t have to travel to do it, but it’s what we did. The highlights of the trip for me were moments when I felt connected to part of the human story that I had not experienced before – praying in thousand year old churches, walking battlefields, glimpsing the spirit of a culture in its art. Learning the stories of people and places and their impact on history is an incredibly enriching experience – leaning things among these people and in these places is even more so. I’ve always felt that learning another language unlocks a new perspective on the human experience – I think seeing new places can do that too, if you look closely. And seeking new perspectives of the human experience is an eminently valuable project. The world is not limited to me and my familiar surroundings. I believe I can be better for knowing the story and experience of someone else. I like traveling because it teaches me about others in a unique way. Traveling highlights the vast range of human experience, the stark differences and striking similarities of people. It also increases my awe before the God who designed us and whose will keeps the drama unfolding.

I also keep this blog because I’m hoping that one day the little munchkin who’s sitting in my lap drooling all over my pajama pants as I write will one day read it and be proud of his place in our family’s adventure.