Hubby-less Musings

He's gone. Oh, but only for the next three days. I miss him already, of course, and can't help but wish I was accompanying him out there.

While Cliff helps set up and work the live event, I could wander the streets of Portland, drink great coffee, peruse the world's largest bookstore, wear my favorite scarf, hat, and peacoat ensemble, walk the river park, rent a car and head for the coast, and take in the great views from a room in a nice hotel with my husband. [sigh]

But I'm here and that's not so bad, really. In fact, it's not bad at all. I drove into Nashville after dropping Cliff off at the airport and thought about what it was like to be on my own in this city - both before Cliff and also during the six months he spent in Africa. I looked up at buildings that would be dwarfed in many of the rest of the nation's largest cities, but that here, stand out against the rolling green (well, now red) hills. Like those buildings, my memories of and in this place stand very tall amdist the landscape of my life and of our life together.

My literal and figurative drives down I-65 and memory lane ended as I pulled in to work at Belmont, the place where I: grew up, became an adult, was hurt, healed, blossomed, fell in love, made great friends, travelled from to so many new places, made/lived through/learned from my mistakes, led, followed, served, studied, dreamed. The list could really go on. And now I'm walking side-by-side (and still slightly ahead of) people - students - who are doing many of those very same things right now. It's all such a unique and, yet, incredibly familiar experience.

I love being here. But nothing beats being here with him.