Epilogue

Yesterday, my first full day back home, I awoke with a start and bounded out of bed, absolutely certain that I was going to be late for breakfast. Surely the rooster had betrayed me and forgotten his wake-up call. Hey, what's all this furniture doing here and who moved the bathroom? Only after walking into walls a couple of times in my sleepy stupor did I remember that I was in my own home and it wasn't breakfast time at all, it was 1:30 a.m. Realizing that further sleep was going to elude me, I headed for the kitchen to make a cup of tea. How strange - and yet how wonderful - it felt to fill the kettle with tap water instead of bottled water. A small luxury, perhaps, but one that I will remember not to take for granted again.

Upon returning to Atlanta, I was met at the airport by President Sam and Sandra Ainsworth, along with Earl Stine and Past President David Beam, who had brought along a huge "Welcome home" banner. What a joy it was to see their faces at the top of the escalator! Once I was home and started sorting through the mail, I found cheery notes of encouragement from Nancy Edwards tucked into the envelopes containing club bulletins for the meetings I'd missed. While we were traveling, I had felt uplifted by the prayers of other club members and my family, as well, and had drawn strength from their love and caring. I hope they know how very much I love and appreciate all of them.

The trip seems almost surreal now. Wasn't it only yesterday that we started planning this trip and meeting online and getting to know each other? Now as we drive down the streets of our own communities, who will sing to us, "How are you ... how are you?" The image I see in the mirror looks like the same person who left home two weeks ago, but inside I don't feel like the same person at all. I feel like a child on Christmas morning who has just received the best present in the world and can't wait to share it with everyone I know.

Now as I unpack my luggage, do the laundry (finally!), struggle with jetlag, and reconnect with friends and family here, I still feel like I have my feet in two different worlds - the world here at home and another one halfway around the globe. I hope the luggage won't stay unpacked for long. Other children in other places still need our services. Where we will take our next mission trip is anyone's guess right now, but we must go somewhere and do this again for the same reason we took this trip: because, through Rotary, we can.