Pining for Blighty

Well, I'm ailing with what seems to be my annual dose of homesickness. It appears that with alarming regularity, most summers, I yearn to be back in Old Blighty. We have been here over eleven years (having only come for two). Most of the time, I'm OK. I love to walk along the banks of Lake Michigan with the dog, and marvel at the skyline of Chicago in the distance (must put up a picture some time) and thank God for the amazing privilege it has been to be here and experience so much good stuff. Yet.... and yet, something inside me wants to go home.

Some things here I would miss:

I would miss the church, Evanston Vineyard and all the wonderful and gifted people there, and all the friends I have made - and marching in the July 4 Parade (done it for years!), I would ,miss my next door neighbors - well actually I'd take them with me!
The schools - I really like the High School, there is an amazing variety of subjects to learn - that weren't available when I was at school;
I would miss various opportunities for the children:
the various High School bands - marching/symphonic and jazz, boy scouts and their annual camping trip to deepest darkest Wisconsin, the beach being so close, guaranteed warm (swelteringly hot and humid) weather in summer and cold (bitingly bitter) weather in winter,
The Youth Group and all their crazy activities,

I would not miss:

skunks!


What do I miss back in Wales/England?

My family - being in driving distance. OK so we may not actually get to see them, but the opportunity would be there should we choose to.
Old friends ... what can I say, they just can't be replaced.
The BBC and decent news shows
Buying decent bread at the grocery store without having to take out a mortgage.
Quality newspapers - the Chicago Tribune cannot compete - really.
Pork pies, sausage rolls and Cornish Pasties.
Kettles that don't need to be replaced every year
More awareness about the impact of our own lives on global warming than you could hope to find here.
Dr Who

And so on.

I guess I really need to throw myself into appreciating being here and making the most of it until this sickness passes, and it does, usually. One day, God may send us back and I don't want to leave with regrets about all that I didn't do while I was here. The Apostle Paul spoke about how he was content in whatever situation he found himself, whether poverty or wealth, wherever he happened to be. I would like to find that contentment - to make the most of every situation. Jesus came that we should have life and live it to the full, not spend it in a hole wishing we were somewhere else!

So having preached myself a sermon, I am going to take the dog for a walk along the shore of Lake Michigan and thank God for that privilege, and enjoy the beauty of where I am right now.

Thanks for listening.