"The last few weeks I was blessed to have my little brother visit and experience my life here in Mexico. Often for single missionaries the people that we love most never know what our lives are truly like. We try to explain, send pictures and tell the stories, but it is not the same, and in reality attention spans of those listening are relatively short since they have no way to connect with the realities described.This is not a lack of concern or caring, but simply a reflection of an absence of shared experiences that would allow one to connect with another’s life. It was truly a joy to share my life with my brother for those three weeks, introduce him to the people I care for, places where I live and work, and travel with him through the mountains, coasts and valleys of Oaxaca. I should have been thankful, joyful, but when I left him at the airport for his trip home, I couldn’t stop the tears."
I would say to Chariti, the writer of this blog post excerpt, that being single has its definite challenges and unique sorrows, but the
longing for loved ones to “get” our life is common to us all, newbies and
old-timers, single and married alike.
This summer I once again experienced that disconnect with
some of my dearest family members and friends. How can they relate to my life when they have never seen where
and how I live? Why do I even
bother rambling on about what they cannot possibly envision? I can enter back into their lives
fairly easily, but very few loved ones have imaginations that enable them to
enter into mine.
What I love about short-term teams is that blessing of
having people from “home” in my real
home, sharing a meal around my table, gradually “connecting with the realities”
that I’ve been trying to describe in blogs and prayer letters for all these
years. I love it when they reach
that “aha” moment of realization that my life is not to be pitied, but envied.
When people say, “I could never do what you do, “ I suspect
that they have no idea what my real life is all about. How could they say that, when I lead
such a fulfilling and happy life?
When they ask, “When are you going to retire, move ‘back home’ and
settle into living in the U.S.?” I know that they are missing some vital piece
of information I haven’t been able to communicate adequately.
Once again, I am thankful for my IRL (real life) friends who share
my life on the field. I’m also
thankful for each of you who are living parallel lives in your dots on the
map. It brings me great cheer to
be reminded continually that I am not alone.
IRL: Chariti,
you are not alone, either, and I’m sure I am not alone in saying you will be
missed when you move on from this particular field of service.
