So Close, So Far....

Here I am,  living the life in Donaghadee.  It's been a bit more than two months now, and I am just as happy and grateful for this sojourn as the day I arrived.  Donaghadee continues to charm, experiences are rich and people are warm.

I think often of those who crossed the ocean long ago, leaving family and friends behind.  It was permanent.  Letters were the only way to connect, and when it was by ship, it was so slow.  Even 30 years ago,  an international call was hugely expensive. 

Look what's available now!  The combination of internet and mobile phone means my ability to talk to my family is as instantaneous and easy as it is at home.  Truth to tell,  my WhatsApp conversations here are better than my Bell landline at Hay Lake!  I can FaceTime with my son,  and I have frequent Zoom meet ups for various groups.  Even this blog gives me a chance to share my life in real time.

I follow Canadian and American news on apps  (there is a dreadful fascination watching at the moment) so that I am about as current as I am at home.  The world is a small place these days.

And yet...  I am 5055 km from home.

I find being across the ocean helps clarify.  I'm not doom scrolling the American election.  It won't change anything and it's not good for me.

And yet -

I have two friends on the cancer journey.  Someone else just lost their mother. I feel so far away and unable to help. I want to see them, bring food, sit with a tea.

Yet here too there is a clarity gained by distance.  I really can't 'fix' it. And loving prayers/healing intentions cross limitless miles instantly.  They both are surrounded by practical helping loving people. We are connected.

But I wish I could give them a hug.