Christmas thoughts

Happy Christmas, all! I hope you have a lovely, blessed, joyful holiday. 

As I prepare for the craziness and excitement that is our Christmas at home, I feel the need to put down in writing those things that a part of my heart is feeling.

I love Christmas. It is my favorite time of the year and I thoroughly enjoy the way we celebrated at home. But I can't help but notice that I woke up this morning with a tinge of nostalgia for what was my home for a year (and all the people that were there with me). I feel homesick for Durham; there's a hole in my soul caused by longing--the longing to see those faces that managed to sneak inside my heart in a span of a few months.

I miss my Durham home and my Durham family. I miss the cold air and the cloudy skies and the laughter and the warmth of tea and radiators and cozy jumpers. I miss all of you my Durham loves. So, so much. It's a bittersweet moment, too, because I've never spent a Christmas away from my immediate family, and I'm grateful to be here. But I just can't help it-- I think I'm destined to have a torn heart. But that's the price I must pay for having lived an amazing year and for being loved.

So, know that you are in my heart. I love you and I miss you. Happy Christmas.