expat blogger

living in Serbia

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

My other home


I am back in the US for a while. We have to come back to work to make our time in Serbia possible.  The saying from the old Dunk'in donuts commercial comes to mind. "Time to make the donuts!" Back to work and back to my native homeland is bitter sweet this time. I am so happy to be home with my friends and family, but now I have stronger family ties in Serbia. I have the most wonderful friends and love it there now. It is my second home with an equally wonderful family. I am blessed to have such loving Mothers and Fathers on both continents.

Coming home has been such a whirlwind. My Grandmother died exactly one week after returning to the States and I scrambled to buy tickets for the flight to Florida. The family reunions was wonderful, and very sad.

The hardest part for me was holding hands while praying for the meals. Grandma would always lovingly caress my hand with her thumb or fingers while our hands were clasped. It hurt to know she would never be there to do that again.

Family Rabbit Trail...
I did learn something more about our heritage.  While Grandpa was reminiscing. He made a statement about his temper, and that Grandma would scold him saying, "John, Your Scotch is rising." I had never heard reference to the Scottish part of our family, though I knew it existed. I love these inklings of the past that come up in family conversations. 
Most of the family references on the Jones side of the family are English, and on the Shields/ Ward side are Irish. I guess the Scottish comes from the Garlic's and the Thomas'. I love family history. Here and in Serbia. I am getting quite an education.

I am enjoying being back on the water... I have my choice of bay or ocean or river all less than 3 miles away.
Spring is like a warm welcome upon our return. The pollen is a bit of a nuisance. It is covering our cars so fast that I am praying for a rain shower to clean them off so I don't have to wash my car...
only to have it covered again in yellow dust tomorrow.

Home is bitter sweet this time. I am missing my Serbian family, and now my Grandma. Such is life. I was blessed to have been in the the US and to be able to attend the funeral. The family union was really a joy. There was fun to be had even in such a difficult time.
My Grandpa got out his Japanese Sword from his trip during the Korean war and my Uncle Bruce purchased a Civil war sword... My dad was in a spot of trouble. lol

I am also blessed to be able to experience such diverse worlds. 
God Bless both my homes...

I am off to explore Assateague and get my season pass. I love this island of wild ponies... Pics to come!

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