Speechless

It is hard to believe i've been back a week.  I mean, when I am home with people familiar to me and in familiar places it is hard to remember being somewhere else for 5 months.  However, the moment I think of being at Brazen with friends or hanging out in Stellenbosch I get home sick.  Today, on my grandmother's 86th birthday, I was reminded that words won't do a thought or memory justice.  This happened in a strange way.  

You see my grandmother hasn't been able to share her thoughts through speaking for months now.  Her emotions are shown through eyebrow raises or tears running down her face.  If I was my grandmother and had to show my emotions without speaking to explain my time in South Africa I would raise my eyebrows for the shock that still hits me after remembering bungy jumping off the world's highest bungy bridge.  I would laugh when remembering countless nights with dear friends in Stellenbosch and I would cry because I miss them so much already.  I would smile when I think of the love I found in that place which has led to beautiful relationships and friendships.  Then the tears of joy would come when I think about the joy I found in that city with those people and through my kids at Lynedoch Primary when they were given a beautiful playground.  That is what I hope my emotions would tell people if I couldn't speak.

I wonder what my grandmother wanted to tell me today when her eyebrows rose as I told her about my adventures or tears ran down her face after I arrived and gave her a big hug which i'd been waiting 5 months to give.  One thing I do know is that I am happy I got to celebrate another birthday with her and I think she was too. -(June 18th, 2011)