The Cost
We had mixed feelings coming into this State-side Assignment. Part of us just wanted to stay put--the thought of transition and uprooting the kids, even for the sake of seeing family and friends again, seemed inordinately painful. But the other part knew we were tired, knew we needed a bit of a break from the stress of living overseas in a foreign culture. So we packed our bags and we psyched the kids up for a grueling 36-hour trip to the Pacific Northwest via London and then Dallas. And our first 3 days, with my parents on their small 15-acre farm in the middle of the Willamette Valley, were everything we hoped they would be. Fresh berries and ice cream, hot tubs, slow mornings on the porch with coffee, not to mention showers with good water pressure, no power outages, and drinking sweet water from the tap! Then came day 4. Dad went in for an Endoscopy due to abdominal pain. When he told me of his symptoms (abdominal pain that woke him up at night) I didn't like the sounds of i