Tuesday, March 25

Not your typical Spring Break


I could have titled this post "A mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do."

Or "What it looks like when a mom gets to do something really special."

Or "Why I'm still not over my jet lag."

No matter what I called it, this is what I would show you:


That's one of my favorite photos from Spring Break.  As you can see, it's taken in a modest restaurant.  But this modest restaurant is in East Asia, where I went to visit my oldest son.

The last time I saw him was August 13 of last year.  Here we are just before I put him on the plane, when I was valiantly fighting back tears:



Truthfully, I didn't go all that way to see more of the world.  I wasn't dreaming of international travel.  I didn't need to rack up frequent flyer miles.  I just wanted to see my son.  I wanted to catch a glimpse of what he's doing, to share a bit of his life.

Somehow it doesn't seem like that's it's been too long ago that my son and I looked like this:



But as you might guess from my floral pajamas, this was taken was 1991, and at that time Will was utterly dependent on me for everything.  I'll be honest: during my time in East Asia, I felt almost as though our roles were reversed.  Since I knew nothing of the language or the locale, I was pretty much dependent on Will for everything.  And God bless him: he took awfully good care of his Mom.

The end of my week in Asia brought a big treat.  Before I came home, Will and I got to fly to Beijing, China, where neither of us had ever been.  The very best part of that trip?  Driving out to the countryside and taking a little climb:



And here's my favorite.  I instagrammed this photo with the caption: "Hard to beat climbing the Great Wall of China with your firstborn." 

 

Later, Will instagrammed the same photo.  His caption? "Great Mom. And a wall."

For that, my friends, I'd fly a long, long way.

Have you ever traveled a long distance to spend time with a loved one?  I'd love to hear about it!

25 comments:

  1. Such great photos Richella, you are a wonderful mom. :) You can see that you both share a special bond with each other. Love the captions you both wrote for Instagram. ;) Thanks for sharing, Liz

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  2. I'm so glad you went!

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  3. how did i not know you were on instagram?!?!?! i found you!

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  4. Wow! I know that you had a wonderful time! We made the trip when my daughter was studying in China. The long trip is quite a challenge on the body but worth every bit of discomfort! Your photos are absolutely wonderful!

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  5. Love this! What a beautiful experience for both of you.

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  6. Your son's caption brought tears to my eyes. What a great time the two of you must have had together.

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  7. I'm so glad that you got to take a trip to see your son. You can tell by the pictures that he loves his Mama!

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  8. i lost my comment, then my sister called while i was trying to re-type it... oh. my. my comment... take 3!

    i was just thinking about will and when he might be coming home... and to see this today, and see that YOU went to HIM!!! what a journey!!!! across the world to see his face, having that reversal and relying on him!!! and then the great wall of china?!?! WOW!!! i am so amazed... and so thankful that you had this time together!!! and i might have gotten teary reading... so now i am going back to savor the photos!

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  9. Wow...how exciting for you! I am so sure you missed that boy like crazy since last August! What an awesome trip that must have been for you... and that you got to see the Great Wall as the consolation prize! The farthest I have ever had to go to see one of boys is Nashville...lol!

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  10. What a wonderful gift!
    A treasure that you shared with us...thank you.
    Nancy
    wildoakdesigns.blogspot.com

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  11. So, so glad you got to see Will!! I remember that post way back in August. As a mom, I could feel your pain as he was leaving for so long. Looks like y'all made some great memories on this trip!

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  12. Beautiful photos! I can only imagine your joy ~ so happy for both of you. I traveled to Thailand many years ago when my ex was over there. Loved the trip and all the experiences.

    xo
    Pat

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  13. oh.my.goodNESS … his instagram caption … now THAT is a great mom moment. Makes my heart soar and he's not even my child :o)

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  14. What a wonderful experience to be in Asia with your son! I'm sure you miss him greatly! You two look so happy in the pictures! :)
    Blessings,
    Leslie

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  15. Hello, I knew that is where you went! Hope he is blessed with his calling...
    Roxy

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  16. I'm so happy for you! And I love your son's caption. He is a great son!

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  17. How wonderful that you were able to do that! What an experience that must have been. My daughter (that just had the baby girl) went to China on a mission's trip to work in the orphanages there and came home forever changed. She thought the Great Wall was amazing. Did people stop and take pictures of you because of your hair color? My daughter is tall with curly red hair and they were all giggles and sneaking around taking pictures of her. Some of the people came up and actually touched her hair. xo Diana

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  18. My son was born in 1991 too! Can't imagine the heart strings that were tugged when he left! Glad you got to see him. Why is he there? I would probably travel just about anywhere to see my son too!

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  19. So wonderful that you got to spend time with your son, and in such an amazing place! I know how hard it is when our kids live far from us and we don't get to see them as much as we'd like. What a blessing this must've been for you!
    Patti

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  20. Ive made that very same trip for the very same reason! It is a life changer for sure. Next time make him take you to the Pearl Market in Bejing...three stories full of bargains and wonders! So glad you got to go.,

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  21. wow - lucky you! The photos of the two of you are precious - so happy to hear you had the opportunity to visit him as well as sightsee

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  22. Aww, so fun!! I actually live in East Asia for a year between high school and college. And I got to visit the Great Wall while I was there. Your pics bring back a lot of memories. :) Love that you got to go visit!!

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  23. Absolutely wonderful that you got to do this with (and for!) your son. I'm so happy for you, Richella!

    In answer to your question . . . yes! Three times. When each of my girls turns 16, I take them on a mother/daughter trip to England. Does it have to be England? Well, kind of yes, but also no. As long as we're spending time together, but England seems to be a pretty great place to spend time together. My youngest is 16, and I just bought the tickets for the two of us to go this summer. Can't wait!

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  24. I don't know how I missed this post Richella but it's one of my favorites. Your son's caption made me teary. What a blessing to have that time together. You'll never forget it.

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  25. What a choice experience! That caption is precious and sums up what you are -- a WONDERFUL mom. xo

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