He sets the lonely in families

During consular officer training last month, it seemed like the routine here would just go on forever. My weeks are structured by the 8:15am shuttle to FSI, lunch with A-100 colleagues in the cafeteria, Tuesday night BBQs, and autumn advancing ever more gloriously each Sunday on Capitol Hill. And then this morning reality hit: 4 weeks left in the States before moving to the other side of the world again.

Since the other side of the world really is quite far away, the last two weeks have been spent visiting family and dear friends. First stop, San Antonio and the surrounding hill country:

In Search Of: serious Texas brisket

 

 

 

I spent part of the weekend with Nanny in San Antonio

Then it was out to the hill country, where deer sightings outnumber people sightings

Home on the range with Aunt S and Uncle M

 The next weekend, Cousin N and I drove down to Charlottesville to meet my family for a day trip and celebration of Mom's birthday:

Happy birthday, Mom!

Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home

Apparently Jefferson built this pavilion by his gardens to look out at the mountains and contemplate weighty matters like the presidency, or statutes of religious freedom, or establishing universities. Wouldn't we all think greater thoughts with a backyard like this?

 It was good to spend two weekends in a row with family, though bittersweet to know it won't happen much in the next two years. And while I've wanted to go back overseas, I had hoped that certain circumstances would be different when the time came. But rather than dwelling forever on what did not come to pass, perhaps the main thing now is to love and cherish the family I already have.

"God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing"

~Psalm 68:6