I've always enjoyed the Pacific Northwest of the United States and not just because it is where I grew up. It's always a beautiful place even on the cloudiest of days. Of course the weather did not disappoint. The clouds and drizzle that are so characteristic of Seattle were fully present upon our arrival. And, yes, everyone there bragged about how nice the weather was before we arrived.

Although I moved away years before, we always go back for a visit. My parents live in Washington State and so do two of my siblings, my brother Tyler, and my sister Alina. And of course I have aunts and uncles, cousins and nephews and nieces there as well. And countless friends I wished we could have visited. There's never enough time to be able to see everyone and visit every place. Especially when you are given only three days in a spot. It's just enough to get a sense of what it might be like there, and then you are on to the next spot.

One highlight of our visit to Washington was stopping off in Sedro-Woolley. I went to school there from the time I was five until graduating high school at eighteen. I used to know all the streets and where my friends lived. I knew which shops and restaurants were new and how long they had been there. I knew how to get around town even though I lived just out of the town. I still know quite a few people in the area including the congregation there. This is the congregation that helped raise me and teach me what I know today. They all had a hand in helping me turn out to be who I am. It is always a delight to see them again and have a chance to visit, to see how they are getting along, and to share a little of our adventures with them as we pass through. It's a strange feeling to teach someone who has taught you, and I don't think that feeling ever goes away.

It was an unplanned chance that we arrived to see my own mother on the very weekend of Mother's Day. I know my mom doesn't expect grand things on the day that she is honored for being a mother, but all mothers (including mine) seem to enjoy time with their children no matter how old they are or how long they've been away. How nice to be able to share a day like that with your mother.