We’re home.

We drove back into a driveway filled with love. My parents were waiting arms outstretched and for the first time I realized how much my kids had missed them…how much we all had.

cam home 2012

My parents held out their arms and this little guy ran straight into them.

 

We’ve had this feeling on repeat over the last few days.

We’re trying to come to grips with a new reality. One that looks like something we used to know and yet feels very very different.

Change is a funny thing. I didn’t think I had changed at all (waistline excepted) but the longer I’m home the more I realize all four of us have. Our discussions are deeper. Our restlessness is palpable.

So happy to be home. So unsure of what home means anymore.

What has been abundantly clear from the moment we set off on this amazing, amazing ride was that YOU made all the difference.

We didn’t miss home while we were away because so many of you came with us.

 

mom 2012

Mom and I back together again. Let the plant re-potting begin! ;)

We heard you: cheering from the sidelines. Telling us what we were doing was incredible, unbelievable, a gift to our children, an inspiration.

We never doubted what we wanted from this trip but sometimes when you’re standing on the inside of it, those things begin to blur. You kept it clear.

Globetrotting Mama started out as a bit of a dream. It was, and remains, an intensely personal decision.

And yet, in sharing this trip with all of you it gained strength.

You told me jokes and kept me up to speed on what was happening at home. You included me in your invites and sent birthday and Halloween and Christmas greetings to my family. You Skyped me in to watch me cry. You said “hello” to my kids and emailed them in French. In cities around the world you invited us to dinner in your homes, told us which neighbourhoods were best, offered your own tips on what we couldn’t afford to miss and then took us there.  You sent me writing assignments and boat invitations and personal messages. You tweeted and you Facebooked. You shared our highs and our lows.

You kept us going.

home again 2012

Two of my biggest supporters. They were the last people we were with when we left and the first to greet us when we got home.

 

I’ve heard from so many people who are now also taking the steps necessary to follow their dreams.

Some of them claim we’ve inspired them. Some say watching us do it gave them the final push.  You’ll never know how much that matters to me.

In the weeks ahead we’ll be retooling Globetrotting Mama so that it can better serve you.

Our stories will continue – there are so many more to tell – but we’ll also offer more of the concrete how-to’s that so many of you seem to be craving and we’ll  be inviting you to share the outcome of dreams you’re pursuing as well.

Our journey isn’t over.

The reintegration process is proving to be just as tough as I’d imagined.

We’re going slow and trying to hold on to some of the things we learned along the way.

I’m so grateful for your patience and your company here and look forward to sharing much more with you in the weeks and months to come.

Thank You all, for everything.

Heather, Ish, Ethan and Cameron

Jumping for Joy

Already looking forward to new adventures