So, I am here in Toulouse with an acute awareness that this week I am missing one of my most favorite holidays. Pangs of homesickness stop me smack in the middle of my happy tracks, and I have to acknowledge that sometimes this is hard! Luckily for me and my state of mind, I am also conscious of how appreciative I am for the year that we are spending away from home, work, familiar routines, friends, and family. Before anyone takes that as an insult, let me explain what I am thinking. In no way is our "real" home or life or friends or family diminished by this leave of absence we have taken. In fact, a greater appreciation for all of those precious things grows with each day we are gone. However, something else spectacular is happening. I am appreciating my family more because I have simply been given the luxury to do so. What an amazing gift! Anyone who has moved to a new place together will understand that when you only have each other on which to rely, then you only have each other. It's hard not to appreciate all that each of us offers to our family when there is time to notice. I marvel at my girls every day as they courageously forge on to experience something so different for them and to learn in a language and within a system that is not their own. I have time to spend with them before their days begin and as they end such that I can listen to them in a way that lets me hear. I am learning more about them because we are not distracted--we have only each other. I have time to spend with my husband. Rather than living a parallel lifestyle as we rush about getting ourselves and our children here and there and everywhere, the gap has closed and we walk side by side. No rush, no hurry. We can have coffee together, we can go to the market together, we can stop at a cafe. We can get lunch together, we can cook together, we can run together. We can learn new things about each other as we adjust to a new life in a new place. We are all valuable here as we rely on each other as only a family can. For this, I am grateful. We only have each other, and it has allowed us to expand what we see, what we hear, and what we learn from each other. Time has been a gift so that we can appreciate what is in front of us. We can truly recognize and acknowledge each other's worth. The benefit is that we enjoy all that we have and do not yearn for what we don't. I am thankful, and I am hopeful that all of you have a wonderful holiday filled with gratitude and appreciation!