Home is where the heart is...

Home, they say, is where the heart is. That being the case, ours might be aptly described as being split in half. As Sam and I walked through the Auckland terminal this morning, we both paused for a moment.. only 24hrs flying away is a place so different, and just as much loved, because of the awesome people in it. We packed up our luggage early Tuesday morning in Frinton and headed straight to see Dan and Clare. Sam is not one for sentimentality, but he wanted to spend every last inch of time with them.. and seeing first hand how incredibally dear they are to him (and to me), brought a permanent lump to my throat. Sam and I both agreed, as we unpack and reflect these next few days, there will be tears. I cant go on here without saying a few things about Clare and Dan. Besides being part of a circle of lifelong best friends that Sam had, they are of themselves, gold. It seems just as easy to laugh and play xbox as it does to talk about the things of God. Ive never seen Sam feel so free to just be himself with friends, as he does with them. Love mixed with laughter and acceptance. What a precious blend. Bless her, Clare knew that I had yet to try clotted cream so baked up some delicious "scoanes" (pronounce it right!) and served them with tea. Oh clotted cream. Where have you been my whole life and why in our great dairy farming nation, cant we buy the stuff? This has fast moved to my must try recipe list. Even more special than that, was the little gifts Clare and Rebecca gave to us, and especially one that Clare made for me. I had been collecting seaglass to make my own shadow box art piece in memory of Frinton. I had sat down and laid out all my pieces and was missing two green pieces. I asked God to help me find them. I had also asked God for one aqua piece. Ive fast learnt on this trip that God is able to fulfill the tiniest desires of our hearts. And of course, come the day we were flying out, we had run out of time to search the Frinton shores. But one of the gifts that Clare gave me, was this gorgeous handmade wee purse. Its so esquisite and she really needs to go into business making them. And inside it.. guess what was there?! A handful of seaglass... including the green bits I needed and one extra special aqua piece. It still chokes me up. We said goodbye, with a "see you soon" grin and full faith that it would be so. And drove with plenty of time to spare to Heathrow. Good thing we allowed plenty of time because right as we were about to take the exit in Heathrow to the car hire company, we missed and accidentally took the exit which had only one destination in which we could reroute.... Borehamwood... only 17 miles away from Heathrow. We attempted the route again with me in charge of reading the exits and praying to get it right. Thank you God, we made it to the car hire company, at 4:30pm, with plenty of time to drop offsaid car, catch the prebooked connecting bus to drive us the 20min journey to the airport, and check in at 6:30pm,... except that after waiting an hour or so for that bus, the manager eventually came out and told us that the connecting bus was stuck in traffic. He wasnt sure what time it would arrive but would contact them again in five or so minutes. The 'can do' Kiwi in me took over and I decided, wisely, not to leave the fate of our arrival time in the hands of an Indian manager and a bus company and had them dial a taxi. He thankfully got us there right on time! Thankyou God! This whole process of juggling routes and deadlines, checking in untold luggage and meeting security requirements, had left me with a thumping headache. I downed some Panadol and boarded the plane. I got smart here and smothered the remaining journey in prayer.. glad I did so, because seriously, the take off was the worst Ive ever experienced. It sort of juddered and wobbled off the runway like a kid fresh off its trainer wheels. I had that "der dum" moment when Amy's tv wouldnt turn on, and after asking a few different flight attendants for help, one kindly offered their sincere apologies that this was a new plane, and they were having a few aircraft engineering issues. They offered to send the engineer down to discuss it with me. Can I just say, when youre flying, what you dont want to know is that you *new* plane is having issues and the 'fix it up' chappie is onboard just in case. I saw the comical side of Amy not having tv on the 14hr flight from London to Singapore.. and whilst tempted to express how fairly ridiculous I felt it was to NOT have entertainment for my 3yr old daughter, and envisioning demanding business class upgrade etc etc.. I restrained myself. I reasoned tv had not always been available on long flights and that being content would serve my character growth well. It wasnt such a bad thing, Amy and I were able to get a lot of sleep and at the end we were gifted a $75 to spend on inflight shopping. I was able to use this to buy a Revlon cube of 9 lipsticks in my colours, which usually retail at $25e. I smiled with Sam that the inconveniences in our trip have often turned out not to be that inconvenient, when weve sought to keep our attitude right.. and often, those inconveniences have been restituted with blessings. Theres a lesson there to be had for me in the everyday. Stay flexible. God is just as much in charge of the things that dont go to plan! In Singapore we relaxed around the pool together and then boarded again a few hours later and flew on the last leg to Auckland. Amy has surprised me this entire trip. Even today she was asking me if we could go on the train, and another plane trip. She has been an utter delight to take with us. As has Tim. The second leg was on an older plane. I like older planes :) Theyre like travelling with a reliable parent. It was smooth. As we approached NZ, Tim and I watched the land come into view and our home shores take shape. Beautiful. Cleared customs with utter ease, despite having a suitcase alone for all our food and seaglass finds, including the sharks teeth Clare gave us for the boys. We drove home, albeit slowly, ridiculously jet lagged. Stopped for a catnap and to swap drivers when the other could bear it no longer. Nate and Ben greeted us with huge hugs and beaming faces and signs for the door.. and mum, bless her, an immaculate home, a fridge with food and milk and a light dinner. Everyone has crashed into bed and are sound asleep. I think I will quietly unpack and enjoy this tidy home and thinking over memories and moments which will be with me for a lifetime.