Ju's relections

Coming home I am filled with a sense of gratitude.  Firstly, thankful that I got to do this trip and to arrive home safe and sound.  But mostly to be lucky enough to live in such a beautiful place with such loving family and friends to come home to.

The first person I see at the airport is my beautiful sister (well, she is my twin!) and I am so thankful I get to go through life with this wonderful person who I am lucky enough to have by my side from conception.  She has brought my Dad to the airport with her - he turned 90 while we were away and I am happy he is still here for me to come home to.  He is a brave, strong man who took the chance after the war to start a new life in a country on the other side of the world when he didn’t even speak the language.  I’m so glad he took that chance because it led to me being born here.  Pete and I have been to many amazing countries, but more and more as the years go by, I am incredibly grateful to call New Zealand home.  As we drove home from the airport along the rubbish-free streets and looked at all the lush green grass and trees, I felt a new appreciation for the people in local government who had set up systems to keep things ordered and clean and for preserving and protecting our beautiful environment.

A welcome home gift from Briana - she thoughtfully
provided a can of sardines so we'd still feel like we were
on holiday!

It was so lovely to see all our beautiful children at the airport looking happy and healthy.  That they took time out of their day to come and welcome us home.  They bought food and made cuppas so we could just talk and soak up the warmth and love of being back in our home.  They made us dinner, had looked after our business, painted the fence and looked after the house for us.  I feel incredibly lucky.

Later in the afternoon Pete and I went for a bike ride – all that sitting on the plane is just not good for a body!  Again I felt such gratitude, this time for the coastal walkway and the fact that it was not raining so we could get out and enjoy it.  Not just a safe place to cycle, but a great place to meet friends, which of course we did.  Always good to see friends but especially good to bump into Ray, who married us 31 years ago.

It was quite windy but we decided to go for a swim to try and rid us of that kind of seasick vertigo feeling you get after a long plane ride.  The water was warmer than any of our Atlantic swims and we even managed to bodysurf a few waves.  

How lucky are we to have all this on our doorstep?  It’s always fun to travel overseas with the joys and challenges it brings, but coming home is never a chore.  I love this place.