Tradtionally, most of our freinds on the island who were not born here take some time every summer or every other summer to return to their birth country to have fun with family and friends of days past. So this summer we took a break from beach time, bullfights, and festivals, to visit friends and family in Michigan, Virginia, DC, and Maryland. A tight, well-planned schedule led to some stressful, but totally enjoyable celebrations.
Especially since we moved back to the island, we have compartmentalized “family” with different periods in our history. Thirty-two years of marriage very happy marriage have given us a very generous history of different families: Our siblings and their extended families, our daughters and their wonderful families (Aidan, Summer, Gerry and Darcy, etc.), our Gazette family (Linda and Dan, Norm and Val, Rene and Mary), our BSEE family (Vince and Heide, Gino, Jolie and Veronica), old neighbors (Brett and Christine, Jim and Claudette, Rosa and Craig, etc.), our Falls Church family (Deb and Tessa) and many more too numerous to mention. I won’t even name the doctors and nurses, lab and radiology techs, etc.
Personally I’m convinced as we get along in the years, memories and mistakes in our history “change,” erode, become more brilliant, etc. But these trips back and forth to the island amplify the great friends and family we have made throughout our history. These trips home, I appreciate, are hectic, expensive, and sometimes challenging. But these visits, whether an hour, a day, or a week, makes us appreciate the people who make us what we are today.
And very few things compare to that feeling of getting home to your own bed, back to the beaches and bullfights, and our family and freinds on Terceira!