The Heart of It All

Home.

Just the word brings a sense of comfort, of security.

So while I love the oceans and mountains of Taiwan, and the green and openness of Ohio, it is the people in my two homes, that makes them my homes.

People like family....

Grandma Castanien

Nick and his cousin Andrew.

Carl and his dad.

And friends...

Becca, Sarah, Abbi, and Jake.

Teens and their moms! A great group of friends!

Leaving Ohio will be hard.

Yes, I will miss my mom, my sister and her family.

Yes, I will miss Carl's dad, sisters, and the rest of the Dingus clan.

Yes, I will miss our beloved church family.

But, these are not the reasons it will be so much more difficult than past years. Climbing onto that plane will be harder than ever because three of my children will not be with me.

Nick and Ben will return to Oklahoma Baptist University.

And this August, Abbi becomes an Ashland Eagle.

Only Jacob stands between us and an empty nest. 

For our college aged children, there are no quick visits home. No weekend or even holiday trips to see mom and dad. 

Mom and dad are only a phone call away. Yep, a phone call, thats all they get. 

Well, thats not totally true. They get lots and lots of prayers from both their mom and dad. While difficult to see, there's no telling the role those prayers have played.