Homeward

Steve

Watching the sunrise from the little cove between Fornillo and Spiaggia Grande

For my last day in Positano, I got up early and took a couple of photos of the sunrise from Fornillo beach.  Then I headed back up to the villa to prepare for our trip back to the states.  Our travel itinerary included a transfer back to Naples, then a train to Rome, and finally a flight to London.  We spent the evening in London, and the next morning we were able to wonder about and show the girls some of London's most famous landmarks.  After that it was back to the airport to catch a mid-day flight to the U.S.  Travel days can be a little exhausting, but the girls are a bit used to it now and don't complain too much.  It helps that everything has been running on schedule.  

Wandering around London near the hotel in the am to scope out breakfast spots,
when what to my wondering eyes did appear!  ( I had no idea we were so close to Westminster Abbey.)

So what can I say about our time here in Positano?  This little seaside village where the houses tumble down the mountains to the sea.  I am sure that in the months ahead I will miss certain aspects of life there.  In many ways our time in Italy was better than I had imagined it might be.  We did so much during our stay, and yet there is so much more that we wanted to do.  We met so many genuinely kind and gracious people, some of them who we are now lucky enough to count among our friends.  On a more personal level, I had hoped that the time spent in Italy would in some way transform me.  Now that we are high above the Atlantic and headed home, I find myself wondering if it has.  ( I'm almost certainly no taller.  ;)  I think that the days spent in Positano were some very happy ones for myself as well as for Jo Anne and the girls, and that good times (like bad ones) leave their mark on people.  I would like to think that as a family we have grown a bit closer.  I think I savored each day we spent in Italy because in the back of my mind I knew that our time there was limited.  But in reality this is always the case no matter where you are, so hopefully appreciating each day is something I will continue to do.

Another sunrise photo from my walk down to Fornillo beach

I am very curious to see how things will play out back in the U.S.  It would be easy to spend three months in Positano without a care in the world, and then return to the grind and allow work, chores, and social obligations to again set the pace.  For life to be no different than it was before I left.  For me to be no different.  But I hope that this will not be the case.  I hope that what I have learned from my months abroad will become engrained in who I am and how I live my life.  And I think the lesson is simply this - enjoy your life, wherever you are.  Recognize the beauty that is around you and take advantage of it.  Skip the cinema in favor of a hike.  Have a glass of wine with your spouse and talk about anything and everything.  Play a game of checkers with your kids instead of watching TV.  If they are young enough to play checkers with you, these moments will be gone all too quickly.  Fill your days with wine and food and friends, because these will be some of the best days you ever spend.  And every once in a while take some time alone to treat yourself to a really good cappuccino.

Ciao.  Buon Natale e buon anno.

The Washington monument came into view just before landing.  Good to be home again. 

Together again.  Cousins reunite at the airport in DC.