I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Home. For anyone who shares their time, albeit, unequally, between two beloved countries, cities, even villages, home is sometimes a difficult place to locate.

Crete

For friends who have visited before, you know that for the past 24 years or so, Crete, my husband's place of birth, has been our permanent residence. We live in a tiny village in the countryside, having moved from the city last January. It's breathtakingly beautiful, where lush rolling hills are lined with vineyards and dotted with orange and lemon groves, only to be surrounded by snowy mountains in the winter months.

Crete, Christmas 2011

Crete, Christmas 2011

Today, I am writing to you from my hometown, Toronto, Canada. It's been a while since I've posted, as we arrived just over two weeks ago and it has been non-stop: visiting with family and friends, shopping for seasonal items, and adjusting to the cold Canadian winter (which I long for when I'm in Crete!).  But mostly, we're here so that my daughter can find work, as Greece's unemployment rate is at an all time high, especially for young people under 25, of whom more than half are without work.

Toogood Pond, Unionville, Ontario, Canada

And so, here we are, 'across the pond'! My sister and her family live in Unionville, a charming little hamlet just outside Toronto, which boasts a pond all its own, home to various wildlife like the famous Canada Geese, ducks and fish.  

It is in this quaint and cozy suburban village where we have the pleasure of taking long leisurely walks around neighbourhoods nestled in forest-like landscapes, the foliage still glowing with memories of fall in the afternoon sun.

The other day, on a stroll amid waterfalls and marshlands, I stood on a  bridge, gazing into the still flowing, not yet frozen water below, wondering what the future may hold and thankful for good health and loved ones, near and far, in the present. Longing and belonging are perhaps one and the same, when you know and love two countries that can be found on a map, and people closest to you, deep in your heart.

Thanks for visiting.

Poppy

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