A Chilly June Morning

I'm sitting in the kitchen of my family's house in the midwestern suburbs.  It is 7:30 am and the light is still thin, the air is still cool, the house is still quiet. 

This, I love. 

This, I have missed.

We spend every summer with our family in the American Midwest.  And every time we return, I am always struck by something new.  Sometimes I am able to anticipate what will strike me.  I have been looking forward to a morning like this for months now.  Days in Indonesia are the same - temperatures always in the mid 80s, with humidity always in the mid 80s. The sun fills the house by 6 in the morning every day, and noisy children invariably follow its trajectory.  The only question is whether or not it will rain, and then for how long.  I didn't mind the Indonesian heat when the U.S. was buried in snow, but I began to miss seasons when spring hit the midwest and Facebook posts showed friends in jackets on back porches enjoying the warm evenings with a chill in the air.

I have missed that chill.

Life in Jakarta is good.  It took the better part of our first year, but I feel like I've found my footing and am living a life beyond just keeping myself and my family afloat.  I am looking forward to a more outward focused second year.  So, returning to the U.S. does not have the pang of homelessness that it sometimes does.  It just fills our family with joy, in so many expected and unexpected ways.

Things said by my children over the past few days:

I don't think I've ever seen such green grass in my life - and so much of it!

The sky is so big, so blue, and so bright!

Target!  Oh my goodness, this place is amazing!

Do you know where my jacket is?

You've got to try these strawberries!

This burger tastes way better than Carl's Jr!

I wish we lived here, so we could see our family every single day.

We are filling our summer with family and friends, loads of fresh fruit and plenty of burgers.  We are driving fast, with the windows down and our sunglasses blocking the glare of that bright sun.