Melody Galore

Here I am again, the airport. The effect has the same high on my heart every time I find myself here. I’m exhausted, because I haven’t slept properly in 3 days. We traveled two hours through the Romanian countryside to the Cluj Airport, leaving the house at 5 a.m. My eyes are swollen from the tears that seem to come so easily, and oh how I feel like a spoiled brat when I cry about leaving.

I sit in the small waiting room, looking out of the window as the sun peaks over the skyline. As I watch the deep orange bleed into the rest of the dark sky, the wrinkles in my forehead smooth. I am relaxed here, I am saying goodbye as I sit. The florescent light above an important looking businessman is flickering. There is another man pacing the floor in front of me, I can tell he just bought new shoes because of the fresh squeak that sounds as he carefully avoids the cracks in the floor. There are three old ladies to my left with obviously dyed dark cotton candy hair hovering above their heads. Their bright pink lipstick makes my eyes wander back to the skyline. I am thanking the Lord for the beauty that surrounds me, and just then I hear the song. The florescent light is keeping the tempo, the squeaking, the laughter of the ladies; the plasma screen tv with ridiculous adds is like a strobe light, the flapping wings of the birds flying across the skyline. It’s all being sung for me, oh the melody of goodbye.

The intercom calls us forward like cows or sheep to board the plane, and there is peace in my heart, as the anthem resounds all around me. What a clamorous parade bidding me a fond farewell, and as soon as I step unto the plane, the music fades behind me, and all that’s left is what’s in front.

Some 13 hours later, two flights down one more to go, I sit on the floor in Washington DC. I have a long layover here, so I treat myself to some Wendys, my first American food in 2 months (the dr. pepper was astounding). As I walk back to my gate, a new song begins to sing. There is a track team sitting together on gate D16 all of them laying with heads on each other’s stomachs listening to their ipod’s. I notice their feet swinging with the music.

There is a little 6 year-old blonde girl racing her dad to the end of the hall, she screams “Dad, I have to tell you something!” and he slows down and says “what?” and she races on faster and screams “NOTHING, gotchaaa!!!” she reaches the end of the hall, joy in her cheeks, and victory in her eyes. She is holding her pink croc shoes in each hand, and her dad is laughing remembering where she had learned that little trick.

I smile as the melody begins to build; the window to my left shows an airplane as it is taking off. The feet in front of me that are passing swiftly, and slowly, some meanderingly, others fast, and still others most contentedly. The blinking boarding light keeps the tempo, and the giddy laughter of the victorious 6 year-old is the pitch. The anthem is singing for my return, tears in my eyes and a smile on my face I give my gratitude to the Lord.

It was the perfect end to a perfect season in the perfectly anything but perfect Bazna, Romania. I am ever grateful for the memories I have acquired, the things I have learned, and the opportunity to be apart of it all.

I believe my guitar experience has expanded as I did my weekly sets, singing and playing. I believe my heart has received some of the purest forms of love then ever before in my life. I know for a fact I have learned many things in the presence of the Lord, the presence of the people, and even about myself as I was there.

I am sorry to see the end to such a perfect time, and yet ever excited for the things that are to come. All I know is I’m running, I’m going for it, I am going to live for the fullest that He has for me. All the while, I will sing to Him my gratitude, and He will orchestrate a symphony of goodbyes, welcome homes, farewells, and ‘have a nice flights’ all for me. My heart swells with every beat and every flow of this melody galore.