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Where you go, I shall go (continued) |
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(Continued from September 18)
The community of Augustana has been extraordinary. They are graciously closing their eyes as they bring us food to tide us over until we find our kitchen amidst all of the boxes, have set up our DSL at home so that I can even write this note, and are generally simply a gentle and yet present help when we need it. At the end of this email, you will find a link to the pictures of Augie folk, students and faculty alike, who helped ready this house for us on Labor Day, and unpack the U-Haul last Sunday, and welcome us all home at the airport on Wednesday.
One of the wedding texts that Bill and I had was from Ruth, in which Ruth tells Naomi, "Where you go, I shall go." Bill always laughed and said that he never dreamed that these words would take him to Germany! That passage rattled around in my brain as I walked through and around this house which Bill has been in, and said, "Here, we could have a home." Although he has died, I feel as if he is still here, in some way. He always threatened to haunt me, although I begged him not to. I don't think he will, but I do feel a calm in this home, a sense that he is somehow here.
The irony of our extravagant welcome is that I told Bill that I had sort of hoped that we'd have a big crowd of family waiting for us at the airport when we landed after our five years in Germany. This just wasn't to be, since our plane was scheduled to come in late, and we had planned to fly two days later to East Lansing to my parents anyway, in order to bring back all of our belongings.
Of course, Ruth was saying these words, "Where you go I shall go, and where you spend the night I shall spend the night. Your people will be my people, and your God my God," to Naomi, her mother-in-law. Both were widows, and both needed each other. I am in the most surprising circumstance of being a widow at 35. But I feel as if these words have been spoken to me, perhaps not in so many words, but spoken or acted out nonetheless, by so many people over the last three months that I can't begin to imagine how to thank you, or even to recognize all that has been done for me. My family is indeed grateful beyond measure.
Two last matters: The link to the pictures is http://www.augie.edu/pub/values/AnnaMadsen.html.
And our new address is 101 East 35th Street
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 57105
USA
Please, please, keep Karl's full recovery in your prayers, as well as Else's well-being...and maybe one for Dad, Mom, and I, that we keep our tanks full and our spirits high.
Peace to you all,
Anna
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