Despite coming home from living ten days on a schedule seven hours ahead of us, I woke up exactly according to my biological clock, bright and early, ready to assume my normal routine of a quiet morning all to myself. Oh, how I missed that.
I got up and fed my sweet kitty, who surprisingly waited very patiently for me on the windowsill above my bed. Then I opened up a bag of coffee that I brought home from Guatemala and brewed a pot of it for Mike and I to drink this morning. I bid goodbye to my husband as he left for work, and then I ventured out onto my front porch with my coffee, my gratitude journal, and a small devotional. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes sent me back in rather quickly, but it was nice to enjoy at least a few minutes out there.
I still felt quite unsettled, so I ended up unpacking, doing laundry, sorting out the few little gifts I was able to bring back, and just tried to get reoriented. That may take a few days. I've got a million thoughts and emotions swirling around in my head and heart--I don't even know where to start to even begin processing through all that I've experienced over the last 18 days. I figured this blog is the best place for me to begin so I can at least add pictures in some sort of organized manner.
Truthfully, though Juan and I embarked on one long trip together, it still feels like two completely different experiences that I can't seem to merge at all in my mind yet. I know God had a purpose for putting them together that I'm sure I will understand eventually, but for now, they were two separate trips, so that's how I will blog about them.
All I can say right now is that I am so thankful to be home again. This was such a stretching, bonding, challenging, fearful, terrifying, awkward, emotional, courageous, out-of-my-comfort-zone experience that truly changed me in more ways than I even know. I look around and realize life is no longer the same, nor am I. Bear with me over the next week or so as I attempt to share pictures and pour out the contents of my heart onto this page.
About Me
- Rachelle D Alspaugh
- I've been married to my husband, Michael, for almost 25 years. I'm a mom to a biological son and an adopted son from Colombia, and I'm also a spiritual mom to my adopted son's older brother, who I claim as a son in my heart. I'm bilingual and love to work with and relate to Spanish-speaking children and families. I've been a teacher to students from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures for the last 20+ years. I'm also an author and a certified Biblical counselor. I'm in a new empty nest season in a new location far from where I raised my boys, so I'm definitely in a stage of rediscovering myself, my interests, and my purpose.
Surviving the Valley Series
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