Relative Something

‘Twas the second day of January, and all through the house, echoes of emptiness kept ringing out.

This morning, I said goodbye to the Morales family as they loaded their luggage into our truck before Cyndie drove them to the airport. Delilah barked her own goodbye, and then we shut out the lights in the house and all went quiet. Too quiet, after you have just had such a fabulous time with company that they come to feel like family who make your life whole.

I expect the feelings of loss related to their departure are magnified by the knowledge that they are traveling over 2000 miles away. It is a familiar feeling, awaking memories of the time Cyndie and I departed from Portugal, saying goodbye to the Rowcliffe family who we had grown close to during a two-week visit there.

It is the feeling I get every time my annual June bicycle trip comes to an end and all the precious souls I have communed with for the preceding week scatter in all directions for the places they call home.

It is a separation from people who have enriched and expanded my world and caused me to grow in ways I never imagined.

I’m pretty sure Delilah will miss the attention she was getting from our friends. Younger son, Jose, turned Delilah into a lap dog with the connection he seemed to make with her.

I expect the horses will miss the extra attention they have been enjoying from people who are “horse-smart.” I know I will miss the support that Marco and Dunia provided toward caring for our herd.

The feelings of sorrow for the parting are easily balanced against the sweetness of experience and the immeasurable joy of memories we now hold. We carry the spirits of our friends in our hearts. They remain near and dear to us, regardless the physical distance that may eventually come between us.

Godspeed, Morales family.

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