The Long Journey Home by Perrie Berlin-Halpern
Rome was everything I had hoped it would be. The people were warm and friendly. The sites and sounds of the city were just like from a movie. And despite the fact that the Trevi Fountain was closed for repairs, the live music from the adjacent court yard made the very long walk to that spot worth while. Romes sites makes any Americas seem tiny. Thousands of years civilization laid before you intertwined with the modern. But what was even more impressive, was that the Romans know how to live. They truly enjoy music, food and each others company, which is something that I think gets lost in the American culture.
Then theres London. London feels to me as comfortable as my favorite slippers. Its where I spent half of my childhood in my grandmothers home in Ealing. I know the streets there like I know New York. I had so much fun with my family. We celebrated two birthdays and spent evenings talking about everything. I helped my baby cousins getting ready for Halloween, which the English have recently adopted as a holiday and so my expertise in pumpkin carving was needed. It was all lovely until the day before I was supposed to come home, when I checked my emails.
I received in one day news of two deaths. The first to come was of Tsula. Tsula was a proud Cherokee Indian, known by his friends as Grandfather, a title given to one that had lived a long wise life. We had grown close over the time that I knew him. He had walked on, an Indian expression for death, after long struggle from having a stroke. He was one of those we refer to as The Greatest Generation and indeed, Tuslas had earned this title for his long service to this country and his commitment to family and friends.
Later that day, I learned that the sister of my dear friend Margo, had passed away from her long battle with ovarian cancer. She left behind a 15 year old son. Earlier this year Margo and her sister had lost their father. Too much pain for one year.
I would be arriving home in time for the funeral.
On the plane ride home, I thought about many things. But the curious thing that I noticed is the longer I was on the plane, the further away all the nice memories that I had just experienced seemed to be, and the closer the bad ones had become. I found this troubling. I remembered reading once of the phenomenon of remembering the bad events in our lives more vividly than the good ones. We evolved this as a survival tool. It was hardwired into our brains to keep us alert to potential danger. But at that moment, it seemed to me like it had an undesired effect. It sucked the color right out of our lives. I arrived home feeling like my trip was like a dream, but the funeral the next day was my only reality. I went to sleep feeling very heavy.
The next day came all too soon and there I was sitting in the funeral home listening to the eulogies. I looked around the room and saw such sadness and I found myself wondering if this was it? That we toil away only to come to this closing act? Then the rabbi that was facilitating the funeral closed the service with a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., Only in the darkness, can you see the stars. The quote caught me by surprise at a funeral, but it was a needed one. Suddenly I remembered being in the plane, circling over London and seeing the lights of the city twinkling through the darkness. It looked so beautiful. I took the stewardess hand and she led me out of the terminal so that I could jump into my grandmothers arms and I smiled. It was a long journey home.
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Welcome home Perrie! So glad to have you back!
k!
Awwww...
Thanks Uppy!
Welcome back sister.
''No rain, no rainbows''...
Thanks Flame. I used to write more... but I really don't have the time anymore.
Thank you brother!
This is true... but the nice thing about rainbows is that they follow the rain.
Welcome home Perrie, very cool to hear about your guys' fun trip and visit. Adventure and home are poles that beckon to us, to remind us of the blessing of each. It can be a little wistful being pulled from one to the other though, lol!
:~)
I think I would have been tempted to just stay there...
I'm so glad you're home! I'm truly glad that your trip was enjoyable, and that you had so much fun! There is something about getting away from it all that is so very refreshing to our spirits!
Sometimes, here on NT, I think we concentrate on the blackness between the stars, rather than the stars themselves. The vastness of space seems to overwhelm us, and we are unable to just enjoy the beauty of the night. I hope that you can treasure your time among the stars and that it continues to refresh your spirit!
So very true Larry! It is so easy to forget the good, when faced with the sad.
You must have read my mind, Marsha, because as I wrote this I also thought about NT. That often we don't get to know each other as people which might richen our lives, but only get to know our differences, which divides.
LOL, but I had twins, so I only did it once. LOL! But it's true jwc. I realized that the moment I remembered my grandmother. I had the joy of having her until I was 48 and the wonderful thing about being back in England, is that I feel closer to her. We all still refer to her ex neck of the woods as being by grandma's house.
All of us have common ground, it's just a matter of finding it...
Thanks Ambie!
Thanks Mac, and what a beautiful picture.
BTW, thanks for keeping an eye on things here. And thanks to all the other mods as well!
Welcome back, P... glad you had a good time. The inmates didn't quite take over the asylum while you were gone, but it was close-- your next vacay is (tentatively) scheduled for 2024, unless something comes up...
LOL swami! 2024 seems a tad far away for my liking!
Welcome back! I'm so glad you enjoyed Rome..(it's on my Bucket List) Sorry you had to come home to such sadness.
Thank you for sharing the beauty of your trip and the weight of loss. Ah, that we'd all choose to see stars or seek solace in the splendor that surrounds us - for truly it balances the losses in life over which we have no choice or control. Your grandmother's arms are always open for you to crawl into whenever needed, take time, go there often.
You have been missed - you are loved and admired - we will always have your back 'cause you're you
Hola! You checked your email too soon....
Thanks for the welcome back Nona! Rome should be on everyone's bucket list.
And it was a sad ending to such a nice trip, but worse for the family involved.
Thank you Lynne for your lovely sentiment. It's amazing to me how often I forget that my grandmother has passed. It goes to show a life well lived that her memory is so alive.
1st,
I am speechless. Thank you my friend for your kind words.
I did?
I'm just so glad that you got to enjoy Romeafter all of the sadness was dropped on you.
The only reason I'm on the Front Page right now is because of you. I would have welcomed you home a lot sooner, but the incompetent construction workers on the street here broke the internet cable and I was incommunicado for almost a day. So......
Glad to see you again Buzz! Not so glad to clean the poop up... I just finished cleaning the litter box, LOL!
Not only is that song perfect, Ambie, it was beautiful. I have never heard it before and I know a lot of Enya's songs. Thanks so much for posting it.
Welcome back, Perrie! Home is always where the heart is, as they say, but sometimes, the heart is in more than one place.
Be happy.
After you get home, so as to keep the experiences separate.
Here is a link on how we form memories ...
I agree, ambi, this is a beautiful song.
Thanks Neetu, and you are right. A heart can be in more than one place at a time.
A Wonderful song Grump! I have forgotten all about it. Thanks for reminding me!