We’ve been here almost a month. We’ve spent some wonderful time with family and have had the chance to visit with many of our friends. I have loved getting to spend so much great time with so many people that we love.

But it’s all been too short. There isn’t a single person we’ve seen who I wouldn’t have liked to have spent more time with. And for every friend we’ve gotten to see, there’s at least one other that we wish that we could. It just isn’t possible to see enough of everyone.

I’m so glad we’ve been able to visit with so many people on this trip home. But a few quick hours with each person isn’t enough. It’s enough to catch up for a bit, to share a hug and a few stories, but not enough to feel satisfied. It’s not enough to keep me from missing everyone. It won’t me enough to keep me from longing to see everyone again.

It’s not entirely a bad thing. How nice is it that I have so many great friends and dear family members in my life that I can’t manage to get enough time with all of them? I’m really lucky, and it’s true — I didn’t truly appreciate how fortunate I am, or how special all of the people in my life are, until I was away from all of them.

And I’m missing my friends (and family) from my new home, too. Not to sound depressing, but it occurs to me that I will always feel this way. Now that my heart is split across two continents, it will always have been too long since I’ve spent time with someone that I care about.

I have 6 days left on this trip, though, and still some friends to see. I can’t wait to visit with them all, and I’m already looking forward to seeing everyone, here and abroad, again before too long.