Our Cramazing May, Episode LXIII: Saying Goodbye...and Hello!

I slept really well, during the little time that I slept. And when I woke up, suddenly, the day that I had waited for had arrived...we were leaving for home.

It was a bittersweet morning, for sure.  We had absolutely loved our time in India!  It was life changing in so many ways; obviously, meeting Tom was the most profound thing that had happened, but truthfully, watching God move in such specific and personal ways was stretching and encouraging and faith-building, and we longed to retain the lessons we had been reminded of there.

We had gained lifelong friends in the McFs.  This remains one of my very favorite pictures from our time in India...L and Tom on the morning they said goodbye to their first homeland and hello to their new one.  L was so caring with Tom, a little mama, really.  I am so thankful that they had each other during this intense two weeks of transition to life with new families...they had shared life before we knew them, and that is something that will always be special to them.

Just look at their faces...joy and security and love are written all over them!  Makes my heart melt all over again as I look into the beautiful eyes of my son from that morning!

As much as L was like a little mama, she was also very much like a big sister.  This video is so beautiful because it shows them playing together and illustrates the carefree-ness of that last morning.  In it, L is teasing Tom by telling him that there is a big monster up the stairs.  She kept saying it over and over again, and Tom eventually believed her and was quite frightened!  What are "big sisters" for, if not to scare and confuse their "little brothers"?!

DSCN4019 from Hoffbeauty on Vimeo.

Once we said our goodbyes and promised to see the McFs again, Tom and I loaded up into our cab for the drive to the airport.  The McFs would follow shortly and we would indeed see them again soon.



These are views from the cab as we were driving into the airport...it was just surreal that, after all we'd been through, we were finally leaving!

Thankfully, when we arrived at the airport, I had our printed itineraries in hand, so there was no worrying about whether or not we would be allowed in.  Tom did well...

...until he didn't.  Once inside and after waiting in several lines, he was just done.  And I couldn't really blame him.

Overall, Tom did very well, and after some time, we were finally on board our plane...I was hoping that we have an empty seat next to us, but as it was, a lucky college student got to share the row with us!  Truthfully, it couldn't have been better. He was so gracious with us as I tried to entertain Tom for the next eight hours or so.  

Tom slept a good bit of the time, so that made the trip easier, and mostly, he was all smiles.  What a joy!