I'm… Home.

Yeah, I’m back in more ways than one. My blog’s up again! (Thank you Steve and the rest of the Negimaki team!)

**************
The travel this time was a huge hassle. Due to some problems at the Continental Airlines side, we almost couldn’t catch our flight to Newark. And then our flight to Newark was delayed for an hour while we were sitting in the plane. And they wouldn’t check our luggage all the way to Singapore (due to aforesaid problem) so we had to claim our baggage and then check in again at Newark. Then after we arrived at Newark, Singapore Airlines wouldn’t give us our boarding passes because the Continental people in Toronto had failed to give us some ticket that showed we had already paid for excess baggage, even though we had the receipt. We shuttled forth between 2 terminals to sort the matter out and managed to reach our gate barely on time even though our transit window was a generous 3 hours. Then the SQ flight was delayed for an hour… and we hadn’t eaten anything in 12 hours. :P But all’s good, we caught all our flights and all our luggage arrived intact.

**************
Read The Little Prince while waiting to take off from Toronto. It was a present from Wanting. The story was poignantly apt somehow. Echoing what was said in it, I think what made Toronto beautiful to me is invisible… and those things that truly mattered could only be seen with the heart. To my own surprise I didn’t cry at all yesterday. My heart was filled with hope and love and warmth from the previous two days’ interactions with my friends. The hugs, the smiles, the knowing glances… the presents and beautiful words… they all served to remind me of what a rich woman I am. How could I be depressed in the face of such wondrous wealth?

**************
My mom stayed up all night yesterday to make sure my room was spick and span for my arrival. They have been renovating parts of the apartment and my room was barely made ready before I came back. I have a brand new, extremely beautiful bathroom, new closets too. Everybody squeezed into my bedroom for air-conditioning and chit-chat… Dad, Mom, John, Cathy and of course Zibin and me. Now they’re all sleeping while I’m still awake… kinda ironic since I’m the one with jet lag. Well, they did wake up at 5a.m. to pick me up at the airport. :)

**************
I’m… home. The interesting thing is, I don’t seem to feel that I’ve left Toronto. I think I’ve carried a part of Toronto back with me. The most important part of Toronto… the invisible part.

My home is neither in Singapore nor in Toronto. My home is in the space I’ve created in my heart… a sacred space blessed by God almighty, filled with His spirit and with all the people I’ve welcomed into my heart. My home is where I’m learning to love God with all my heart and soul and being… and to love others with a love that makes them me.

I will always be at home. *smile*