Where Thou Art - that is - Home....Emily Dickinson

We arrived back stateside March 1st and the transition "home" has been seamless. Caroline is thriving in her new school. Chris is enjoying his new job. And Sadie, who I truly believe had permanent-jet-lag in England, is sleeping like a champ! We've all quickly adapted back to the American way of life and it is great to be back near family. This all being said, I still get misty-eyed thinking about our time in England and just how PERFECT it was.

So, as I am officially declaring this my last installment of "From Strollers and Sweaters..." my shout-out goes to the whole English experience and all the friends we met along the way. While it was brief, it was a chapter in our life that I will cherish forever. And if I learned anything it was to live each day to the fullest - we truly felt at "home" in Claygate, because of this mantra. Here's a poem given to me by my dear friend Susan at our leaving deux. It perfectly sums up my feelings about our year in the U.K. and it is my sincere hope that I haven't seen those that made it so special for the last time.

It seems, wherever I go,
people come into my life or go out of it
touching me where I can feel
them leaving me only memories,
like the gossamer fairy tales of children,
easily forgotten and I wasn't through knowing them yet.

How do I know when I am seeing you for the last time?
How do you halt your life to gather and keep around you
all those whom you have ever loved?
And how do you stop fairy tales
from losing their magic?

But come
Brush against the walls of my life
Even though we both know
The longer you stay, the more I'll want you back
when you are gone.

But come anyways
For fairy tales are the truest stones we read
And good books are made of little chapters...-Anon


Cheers!