The Best Independence Celebration - Not Even in the USA

I have now lived over a year in Khorixas and my Mom's arrival has shed the best light on my service. She arrived July 4th aroung 3PM Namibian time. Our reunion was pretty movie-like. She missed her flight from Johannesburg, SA into Windhoek, NA and used an unlawful amount of data to contact Stacy to inform me. She is such a great mom and was only concerned about me waiting at the airport without knowing she was on a different flight. With this knowledge I still arrived 4 hours before our union because I was filled with too much excitement. At the Hosea Kutako International Airport there is a guard rail about 25m from this automatic door that releases recently arrived individuals. I was filled with so many emotions - the reality that my mom was coming through that door was just too unreal. I was standing with jittery legs and a hard focus on that magical door that opened to have a peek into the other side as people walked through. Person after person came through, each not my mom. Then finally, the door opened and a sparkle came to my eyes as I saw Mom in the distance. She had not seen me and I excitedly got the folded piece of paper out of my back pocket that I had written "Mom" on and held it up against that rail. The doors opened. Our eyes caught and a buoyant laughter bursted from her lips as she saw me and my sign. I danced with joy until I could embrace her. And what an embrace! Fifteen months of no touch all in one hug. It felt like a screenplay of each day we were separated was united and filled in those few moments. Our separate memories and experiences collided into one. An explosion. One so great tears rolled down our cheeks. We moved to a different location to continue our embrace. Joy - pure joy. Then a wave of emotion hit me that Dad was not there. He would have enjoyed this and in a way he has the best seat in the house to view our adventures together.

P.S. Keep posted to read another blog about Mom & I traveling Namibia! I am writing this a week into her 3 week visit - and wow we have seen a lot!

Our First Dinner in Namibia!