Milestones

Thirty-three years ago, on a very humid Friday night, I arrived in America with my parents and a Boxer dog Susie in tow. We were on a short-term life experience. Who knew that adventure would turn into 33 years, 6 residencies and 6 pets later. I’m always awed by August, the hottest month, a languid month, a month that for my family holds many memories, of moving, of losing loved ones and celebrating new beginnings.

I continue to be grateful for all that I have and all that I’ve experienced. I’ve met so many people, some just once, some temporarily filling a void, and others who have become lifers. Words don’t scratch the surface of my appreciation for everyone who has touched my life: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I truly believe it has made me, who I am today.

But I won’t lie there have been tradeoffs. I have missed weddings, funerals and the births of new family members. I’ve had to navigate a sea of just seven in my immediate family sphere. I have laughed, wailed, and screamed at the top of my lungs, sat in hospital rooms, wedding venues, and cemeteries. And in those moments because I was so far from my birth home, grieving lack of support, my tribe appeared and so I have not been alone.

I became a citizen, a lover of Maine and Canada. I’ve become selective of those I surround myself with. I am lucky to have some very true and special friends, who have become family. They come in all shapes and forms, with no agendas, with guidance, and lessons to share.

Thirty-three years is an amazingly long time and yet has passed in the blink of an eye. It has shaped who I am. A family historian, a connector, a good listener, a history buff, a tour guide, a fish feeder (volunteer at the Aquarium), a babysitter, tutor, teacher, cook, and writer.

 I’ve have made my place, I know who matters, and who doesn’t. I embrace new adventures and opportunities. I know on whom I can rely, in both my darkest and my brightest moments. I am an immigrant, a citizen, a daughter, a friend and most of all while remembering that hot humid day in August, when I arrived I see how far I have come.