Home

The last couple weeks I've been hanging out in the Wheaton/Chicago area. If I have a "home" in the States, this is definitely the place. My parents are currently in Indianapolis and since I only lived there two years I don't really have any roots down there. Wheaton, however, is full of memories and dear friends. It's been simply incredible to just soak up time with the amazing folks around here. I've also had plenty of time to tuck myself away in coffee shops reading. I should have been studying for the GREs...but, I can do that when I get back to Indy... It's been really good to be forced to take things at a slower pace, to sit still and reflect, and to simply rest. Last night I headed into the city to meet a friend of mine. I was sitting for a little bit in the Metra station waiting to meet him, watching the crowds pass through. I was amazed at how rushed and harried everyone seemed. I was slightly disturbed by a very visual representation of how my home culture is constantly running from one thing to the next. This type of living is something I am often guilty of myself--which is why a couple weeks of being forced to live without schedules, tasks, and time frames has been startlingly refreshing. To take time to go on a long walk after dinner, to sit and chat over cups of coffee, to sit outside in a heavy summer rain. Hmmmmm, it's late and I'm beginning to ramble here, but I think you get the point. The summation is that my time here in my American home has been a wonderful time of rest and renewal and pausing, which I'm incredibly thankful for. In addition, it's also been fun to hang out with some of the team on this side of the ocean (we miss you Michelle!).