Love has kept me away

I come to you with a full heart and a smile on my face. Not only did I see my wonderful friends in Barcelona, but we were lucky to have my mom and mother in law visit for three weeks. They left on Wednesday, and I am a little saddened by their absence.

The ever present dichotomy of the expat. I find myself broken into little pieces, some have been left behind across the ocean, some are taking roots here in the fertile grounds of Italy. But every so often, the pieces come together and mend themselves into a new whole. These moments of looking at my past and my present together in my friends and family bring such happiness that I find myself without words.

What are we but the sum of such moments? My heart is a malleable mass, shaped by the love of those close and far.