I had a Dream

…that the world was at peace—even if it was for a short time. The world breathed easier and it released some tortured souls of blame...provided closure for others. Even though it still existed, we felt a unity knowing evil can be defeated. A unity in knowing that violence swirls around the world—sometimes behind a mask of religion. But in this dream, we smiled at an encouraging future…hope massaged our hearts.

…that our journey back to the U.S. was completed by finding work. The worry of separation didn’t exist, and we began building and saving for our future. We savored our luck, thanked the Lord for our blessings, and vowed to never separate again. In this dream, we found a home, married, and over the years, watched our bodies decline. But in this dream, our spirit remained mesmerized with all the things we learned about each other.

…that I published my novel and it was a success. The days of repeated revisions for my book to grow stronger were worth it. My plot and characters satisfied even the worst critics. I found an inner peace from believing in myself…an understanding that I DO have writing strengths. Through the years, I continued to write poetry, short stories and a few more novels…some for me…some for you. But in this dream, I not only wrote a bestseller, I lived it too.

You Can’t Handle the Truth!

Well…I’m trying to handle it. The time has come for me to say good-bye. I’m sad my European adventures and time with my Love is ending, but I know I was blessed and appreciate the opportunity. We’ve explored so many places within Germany and Europe that we’ve tracked our walks and they totaled approximately 210 miles since January 9. I’ve been pretty proud of our footage. Here’s a recap of the journeys we took over the past 5 months: (Germany) Hattingen, Essen, Monschau, Plettenberg, Bochum, Krefeld-Lynn, Wuppertal, Munster, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Dortmund, Kempen, Schloss Burg, Altenberg; (Luxembourg) Luxembourg; (Scotland) Edinburgh, (England) Windsor, (Spain) Roses, Cadaques, Figueres, Barcelona, Girona, Banyoles, Besalu; (Belgium) Brugge; (Holland) Amsterdam, Venlo, Domburg, Zoutelande; (Italy) Lake Garda, Verona, Bologna; and (Sweden) Stockholm, Trosa, Nykoping. I want to thank you all for following us in our travels.

As an update to my “I Got Your Back” post, I haven’t shed my weight like Germany shed the snow, but I haven’t gained either. See how I made that a positive. ;) At the present time, I am unable to sell my condo due to unforeseen matters. Once those unforeseen matters are cleared up, I will put it on the market. For anyone looking for a condo on the south side of Chicago in a historic part of town, and within walking distance to the train, shoot me an email and maybe we can work something out.

At the present time, my Love has not found a teaching position in the U.S. What this means is that he will be coming to the U.S. with me through the month of April for his spring break and student exchange excursion, but will return to Germany in May. I will look for a job, hopefully freelance or within the Chicago downtown area, while he finishes out his school year in Germany. If he still doesn’t have a teaching position in the U.S. by summer, he will come in July during his summer break and then return to Germany at the end of August—another year of separation.

It will be a tough year for us, so I ask you to send good thoughts our way…or a job. LOL! Anyhow, this will be my last post before I leave for the States on Friday. I wish you all a safe and awesome week.

 
Bea, who is looking forward to a shower without a hunched ceiling.