A Journey Back

Going Home

By Sheila R. Rose

When I was a little girl, I would watch the sunset with my mom. She would tell me to send all my greetings to my relatives in Iran with the sun. "That's where the sun is headed next," she would say with a gentle longing in her eyes. Almost wishing she could go where the sun was going.

I would look straight at the sun and begin talking to my relatives. "Tell Uncle Hadi I miss him very much and Auntie Soraya I love her very much. Grandma, I'm doing great in school!"

It's the immigrant struggle. You move your family to a land filled with freedoms and opportunities, yet you also take your family away from the chance to know their culture and be around the people who love them most. Like anything in life you win something and lose something else. A balancing act of sorts.

On Thursday, I get to go back home to my birth country. The soil where I was born. Words seem trite to describe the utter excitement I feel. It's been 10 years since I've seen my relatives. I just want to be around my cousins and ask them about their lives and all that's happened to them in last few years. Their successes, their losses, their heart breaks, their moments of joy. All the memories I never got to share with them or be around to experience with them.

Plus, I get to spend 30 days with my parents. I feel incredibly lucky and blessed to have this time with them because when you reach a certain age you realize the frailty of time.

It was a hard decision to make. I mean I'm leaving work (potential work), tasks, dreams, etc. But I think at the end of my lifetime, I don't want to just be remembered for the work I have accomplished, but the lives I've been able to touch.

I am still not sure if I will be able to post while I am gone, but I will certainly try.

Be healthy. Be well. Be happy. Most importantly, be around those you love.