What was that?

It seemingly flashed before my eyes, or was it that I just couldn't see clearly because the tears had not yet fallen from my eyes? I am back in Frankfurt now and the calendar says I was in the States for 6 weeks. I find this especially hard to believe as it felt like only 2 weeks, at the very most. I know there were 10 days in this state, 10 days in that and so on, but that didn't seem true either. Again, I say, perhaps it was just because the tears prevented me from seeing clearly as I looked back.

Autumn has come to Germany. Some of the leaves are still green so it has not arrived in its full beauty but it is on its way. Deep and rich reds, yellows, and oranges are emerging and bring a smile to my face and wonder in my eye. I love Autumn.

The season, of course, is marked also by cooler weather. It is quite a contrast to the beautiful days I spent in Denver and an even greater contradiction to the heat and humidity of Arkansas. Well, maybe not the humidity. Our house here seems to be a sponge of sorts. The ensuing mold is on my mind as well measures to prevent it. Back to the cold weather... I was, admittedly, looking forward to cooler weather, pulling out my sweaters and sweatshirt, what I wasn't expecting so soon was the desire to turn on my heater, not that I can.

Yesterday, my arrival day, I found that a t-shirt, a long-sleeved t-shirt, and a hoodie provided suitable warmth until I was allowed and able to crawl under my covers. Jet lag's a killer.

I spent some time getting re-settled for life here in Frankfurt and will continue to do so today. It seems so familiar yet so new. The people, places, things: same. The feelings: pretty new. As I was pulling clothes out of my suitcase, in the pit of my stomach I felt the same discomfort and question I felt right before I set foot on my college campus, "What am I doing here!? I came, I did it, I made it, I'm here, now let's go home!" I think the jet lag (defined as "extreme tiredness and other physical effects felt by a person after a long flight across several timezones," uhh, yeah!) also added to those feelings.

Just as in college, the fears and questions have subsided. Now I'm just waiting for the jet lag to follow their lead!

It is good to be back in Frankfurt despite how terribly hard it was to say goodbye and leave the States and those they hold. I know that, at least for now, this is a place for me. A place to serve and grow, to struggle, succeed, and perhaps even fail, but more than those, a place to learn to live out of the transformation God has already done and to live by and in His grace.