On leaving Greece…
Friday, June 13, 2008 at 10:39AM Lawrence Durrell wrote in Prospero's Cell, “You enter Greece as one might enter a dark crystal; the form of things becomes irregular, refracted…Other countries may offer you discoveries in manners or lore or landscape; Greece offers you something harder – the discovery of yourself.”
I will be leaving Greece much changed this year; this trip has been revelatory for me and I will be returning to life in Raleigh with a bit of a different perspective. More so than summers past, being here this year has helped me figure out what I want out of life – how I want to move forward in the next couple of years.
I wrote in my moleskine while on Santorini that being confronted with such stark natural beauty forces you to confront your own demons, your own true self – and it is true. The past few weeks of continual surreality have forced me through a lot of self-discovery and I’m leaving Greece feeling much better about being me. And I could not ask to have gained anything better by being here.
I'm flying back to Raleigh tomorrow, leaving Greece for the fourth time in three years. I am stunned that this trip has gone by so quickly, and also feeling slightly disoriented by it all - it easily feels like we could have just arrived yesterday. I will have less than 24 hours in Raleigh to unpack and repack for the summer in Kentucky and Indy, as I fly up to Lexington on Sunday to spend two weeks with the grandmothers and cousins. Its been far too long since I've had this much time for family and I'm excited. Sad to be leaving my city, my second-country, but also glad to be getting back to home and the people I love.
~RLM
Athens 
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A TRAVELING PRAYER POEM
by Eva
Dear Heavenly Father, be with me I pray.
Thank You for guarding me night and day.
Thank You forYour peace that blankets me.
As I travel the airways, the byways, and sea.
Help me to fulfill my mission without delay.
Lead me and guide me each step of the way,
That I may return safely to my friends and family.
Thank You, dear Lord, for traveling with me.