On the day of my mom’s arrival, I went out and bought flowers from a sweet vendor on the street, and then I painted a little sign as I waited in the hotel lobby, hardly able to sit still as I was nearly bursting with anxious excitement. When she walked through the door and we locked eyes, we ran to each other, and I was suddenly back in her arms after an eight-month absence!!!
Later that day, I sat across from her in a cafe as we chatted over smoothies, and I could not get over how surreal it felt to have my mother sitting right there when I was so accustomed to seeing her face and hearing her voice through the small screen and speaker of my phone.
It was such a dream to be able to spend a week with my mom in Chiang Mai, Thailand! We fellowshipped together, caught up on missed stories, and shared in plenty of laughter as she got to know the squadmates that have become a part of my family.
We also had the opportunity to worship together, listen to teachings from my squadmates, and do ministry side by side! We met people in the community, did a prayer walk in the red light district, and even chatted with some monks at a temple. Being able to walk out the life I’ve been living for the past eight months with the woman who raised me was such a blessing, and I am so grateful to have experienced it.
True to her loving and generous character, she spoiled me with lots of great food and even greater adventures during her visit. Here are some of my favorite pictures.
One day we met some baby tigers and got to play with them!
Another day, we got a fish pedicure! Considering I’ve spent the past six summers of my life wading in the Chester River all day, every day, I thought I was pretty used to minnows nipping at my feet and legs. This, however, was a totally different experience altogether. The fish bites sort of tickled and sort of hurt (maybe because they were particularly fond of my feet…but I’ve been wearing the same pair of shoes for the past eight months so there might be a reason for that).
My mom also took me to a restaurant called “Butter Is Better” to give me a break from rice with some good ole mac ‘n’ cheese.
Nearly every night we ended up wandering the stalls at the nearby night market, often with rolled ice cream in hand.
On the grandest of adventures, we traveled to an elephant sanctuary where we got to feed, bathe, and massage elephants
Later that day, we went ziplining! Even though my mom was a bit fearful since she had never done it before and she had just encountered a bout of carsickness after a ride through impossibly windy mountain roads, she persevered and gave it a shot. This activity ended up being her favorite, and I was so proud of the courage and adventurous spirit she had!
These PVT memories are some that I will treasure forever.
Thanks for the visit, Mom; I love you!
(And, Dad, I love you too — thanks for being a great greenhouse manager while the real boss was away 😉 I can’t wait to hug you tight in only two and a half more months now!)
