Gratitude

The days are really flying now, and from time to time I find myself a little teary that we are nearing the end. Not sure they are tears of sadness, but perhaps gratitude for being able to have made this adventure possible. There are still moments where I am ready for some solitude but then after an hour or so to refresh, I want to be with my family again. We've had a pretty chill schedule this past week, so have spent some online time Christmas shopping, sorting out schedules and calendars, making arrangements for the return and catching up with friends and family. Feeling reasonably organized for our return now. 

In Turkey, I've been thinking a lot about my late Uncle Jeff. He was a history nut if there every was one and died far too young. If there was one place he would have loved, I think it would have beenTurkey - the centrepiece for western civilization! While I do find "some" history interesting and like to see all the threads across the various countries we've been to, I cannot spend all day listening to or talking about history. But I bet my Uncle Jeff could have! I am lucky to have this opportunity and remind myself frequently that I need to appreciate what I am seeing and learning as most others don't get this chance. It snaps me out of boredom if we are at a site too long. Lol. 

Of course, there's way more to travelling than just historical sites. Culture, customs, natural beauty, hiking, adventure, people, food, religion and let's not forget shopping. Turkey has all that and more. It really should be on everyone's top 5 travel destinations as there is something for everyone here. 

Back to gratitude. We have spent so much time on this trip talking about friends and family. The kids are so curious to know all the details...Abby started peppering me with questions back in Chiang Mai (Thailand) and they haven't stopped...she has the full history of my friendships with Sue, Tracey, Jill and Jen...how did we meet? How did we know we would be friends forever? Was Jill always funny? And then such shocking statements such as "Mom, I bet you were a goody two-shoes and really girlie in school". Whaaattttt? Moi? Also surprising revelations like the fact that Tracey used to live in the States and that Sue and I didn't meet until we were "OLD". Yes, twenty years old. WTF. Anyway, it's been so fun taking them through timelines and fun memories of 24-36 year friendships! For those ladies, I am so grateful!

We are also so grateful for 'the gang' and the amazing community of people we live with. We've spent so much time talking about all the things we love about our friends at home and the special memories we have like camping at Sandbanks, Versly cottage, Whitham lake house, Dana's baking, Crush Herman, Collingwood, and the more common fun times of hanging out at each other's houses, bike rides, sleepovers, parties, drop ins etc.  The kids have developed great relationships with so many of our adult friends, and it's fun to hear them talk about missing the parents, not just the kids. We've missed our friends at home and are super excited to see everyone again.

We've probably spent the most time talking about family...the kids are keenly interested in where they came from, who they are related to, who they resemble etc. On the beach last week, I spent over an hour walking the kids through our family trees on both Taylor and Cascagnette sides...every cousin, In law, second cousin, aunt, uncle etc. Abby was so into it and kept stopping me to go back and get clarification on the perhaps more complex side of the Cascagnettes. She surprised me with being able to match up the right aunt/uncle/cousin most of the time..much better than her father was after many years in the family! Craig then took them through his side which on the Tyndall side was a much shorter conversation! They love the stories of my brothers when we were young and they love talking and laughing (sorry!) about their grandparents...with affection of course. More gratitude for all the amazing people in our lives.