HOME SWEET HOME . . .

It is good to be back.

Do I really care that it's below thirty degrees and that a snowstorm -- a real storm, thank you very much, Los Angeles -- is right around the corner? No. It's always good to be home.

I miss Sun though. My heart and mind are always a bit quieter -- not in the nice, warm, cozy alone-time way I normally crave -- when I leave her or she leaves me. It's like having a scab picked off to reveal raw flesh beneath. I told her in the car the other day that for the closeness that I felt towards her in our college days, I feel much closer to her now, after college, with these miles separating us. It is in the careful choosing of words over email and the cherished, packed hours spent catching up and growing together when we see each other once or twice a year, that our friendship has matured and become what it is now: a true sisterhood, a bond that ties tightly by faith and honesty and trust. There is no mincing of words, no hiding of motives, no holding back of ourselves (or our bodily functions, for that matter. How many friends do YOU fart in front of?).

So, my Sun-geared heart is back in California, while the rest of me is back home, thankful nonetheless. These five days of rejuvenation, reflection, rest and yes, sunshine, were so needed.

Tomorrow, my life begins again. People to see, things to do, places to go, issues to resolve, shenanigans which shall ensue, adventures upon which to embark, jobs to pursue, dreams to turn into reality. But for the rest of tonight, as much of it as remains, I think upon the past few days and remember how my soul was at rest and at my other home.

Update: sniffle, sniffle. I just got a message from Sun, saying how much she misses me already (as I miss her and have been missing her), and telling me that her first lady kept wanting to call some women at church by the special name she reserves for me. "Imo" ... "auntie." Wah. I am so sad all of a sudden. I sort of want to stay up all night, in the hopes that if I don't close my eyes and allow time to drift by, then it won't, and I can just pretend I'm back in Los Angeles, smothered in eleven years' worth of love and care and friendship and history. Wah. Ladies, Imo misses you!