“Big boys don’t cry.” It seems like an old-fashioned statement meaning that to control your emotions in public is a virtue. The equivalent for girls may be “Big girls don’t frown.”

After 16 years in the USA, my family had a good time with our family in Korea. Most of them met Solomon for the first time and Grace was three years old when they last saw her. Even with this circumstance, we saw only laughter and smiles we shared together.

When the time came to say our last good-bye to Miah’s father at the train station, he kept waving until we went into the station completely. He could not follow us into the station because Miah’s mom needed to stay in the car due to her medical condition. When we said goodbye to my parents, my mom got tears in her eyes and insisted on getting on the train with us, helping us put our luggage on the shelves. As a result, she missed the chance to get off the train in time and rode the train to the next station with us. I felt sorry for her, but she said she was happy to spend a little more time with us.

The time of 16 years didn’t create any difficulties for us to feel family bonds. Even some 30 plus years didn’t affect friendships when I met my elementary school friends. Those are interesting feelings. The connections with my family and good old friends have survived through a long time of physical separation. Indeed they have been waiting for us!

To know that there have been people who didn’t forget us but have been ready for our return gave us the ultimate happiness and relief. While recalling all these happy memories, I started thinking about our relationships with God. How many times I have forgotten my God, who made me, forgave me, saved me, and waited for me until I came back and asked Him to be with me? How many times I have forgotten our savior Jesus, who saved us and offered me the friendship that I didn’t deserve.

I think I can be emotional and cry before God like I did when I looked for help in Jesus’ name after a long time of wandering. I hope I can revisit and enjoy the relationship with God and Jesus more often from now on. I know that God is always ready to welcome me and all of us with the help of the Holy Spirit within us. Amen.