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| Grand old pecan tree that graces the center yard of our parents' home in Alabama. |
We're relieved to be back home stateside, but it's not how we predicted our Travel Sabbatical to end. Our dad's sudden decline in health and passing is still shocking and confirms that anything can happen, so plan and live accordingly.
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| Start of our 30-hour journey back from Tokyo to Alabama. Will we make it back in time? |
Even though we didn't make it back in time to say goodbye, we feel very blessed. Had it not been for us quitting our jobs to start our travels in May, we wouldn't have had the opportunity to spend 2 precious weeks with our parents in Alabama before we departed. Ironically, we stayed in touch more via FaceTime while we were traveling than when we were "too busy" with our lives at home. We're blessed that we were able to give him a glimpse into our adventures. He avidly kept up with our travel blog and was very proud of what we had accomplished.
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| "Welcome Home!" said Homeland Security upon our arrival to stateside at LAX. |
Dad's passing affirms our decision for taking a career break to pursue this dream, as originally inspired by the untimely death of loved ones already gone. There's no regret because we accepted the inherent risks when we decided not to wait around for "what might have been".
Thank you to our Travel Sabbatical family for your thoughts and prayers. It's been a truly (Bitter)sweet Home Alabama homecoming.
