It’s Not Goodbye – Just See You Later
On the 22nd of April, I headed to Canada to spend three weeks with my family. Living on the other side of the world means I don’t get to see them often, so every visit becomes incredibly precious.
When you know time together is limited, you learn to cherish the simple things — conversations around the table, cups of coffee together, movies, laughter, shared meals and simply being present with the people you love most.
Over the three weeks, we packed a lot in. Not because we had to, but because when family finally comes together, you want to make every moment count.
My sister Cynthia is an incredible organiser and always makes things feel special. There were family dinners, friends dropping by, gatherings full of stories and laughter, and countless moments where I found myself simply sitting back and feeling grateful for the people in my life.
Family matters
One of the things I love most about going home is reconnecting not only with family, but also with the people who have been part of our lives for decades. There’s something very grounding about returning to the places and faces that helped shape who you are.
But my holiday certainly didn’t slow down:
I ended up doing two speaking gigs — one in person and one virtual
We went to the movies with seven of my sister’s friends.
We attended a Mother’s Day retreat at Cynthia’s Rising Spirit with ten others, doing yoga, sound baths, cold-water plunges, and eating the most beautiful food prepared by Cynthia and my nephew Chris.
I caught up with my friends John and Laura, who I first came to Australia with.
We had coffee with Mum’s walking ladies in a bullet-riddled McDonald’s (welcome to Scarborough!).
We had one final family dinner at a local pub
We went to another movie — just Mum, Cynthia and me.
And finally, we shared one last dinner together, just the three of us.
I must admit, I’ve now come home needing a little recovery time — not from stress, but from three weeks filled with love, laughter and gratitude.
Living so far away has taught me something important: time with the people you love is never guaranteed, so when you do get it, make the most of it.
Create the memories.
Stay a little longer.
Have the extra coffee.
Go to the movie.
Say yes to the dinner invitation.
Because in the end, it’s never really goodbye.
It’s simply, “See you later.”