The Luxuries of America

I've turned into a cryer.

I was never a cryer before I had children. I could watch any tear-jerker and my face remained dry. But apparently my hormone level is not fully convinced that I won't be spending another year pregnant soon, and has remained high enough to launch me into tears during every episode of Oprah.

We have now been in the states for 3 full days, and although no cultural differences have shocked us, everything does feel wildly luxurious. The towels feel so soft. The milkshakes taste so good. The sky looks so white.

We spent Friday morning at the Glen Ellyn Public Library. This was so nice, that I almost started to cry. The youth services center covered the entire ground floor. Well stocked with toy trains, wooden puzzles and row upon row of board books, this was a wonderful place to take my children. The girls alternated between sharing toys with the other children, and picking out books to sit and read together. The library offered short programs with various themes, certainly aimed toward stay-at-home moms. A copy of Chicago Parent magazine filled its colorful pages with community theater, children's music classes, simple and healthy snack recipes and other insights into the world of raising a young children in an American metropolis.

I had to hold back the tears. This is the type of early childhood experience I want to offer my children. The opportunity to learn and to socialize, but in small doses meant for young children to play within sight of a parent; with the added bonus of being public and offering programs at no cost. While I struggle to even find playmates their age, let alone programs offering appropriate learning opportunities in small doses, I find all of these available for free within a block of my young niece's home.

We spent yesterday with family. Dave's parents hosted some of his extended family and we reveled in a warm room. For hours into the night, everyone sat in a close circle and shared pictures, asked each other questions, caught up with each other's current worries and hopes, and laughed together. An evening with Dave's family is an evening filled with jabs and puns, rarely an unkind word but plenty of laughter.

And I know that this is what I have missed most of all.

But no tears came to my eyes.

Because this is ours, and will always be here. Each time we come back, this love and warmth will surround us again. And when we eventually return to the states, this love will have waited us out.