Sad, Glad

I leave Thailand tomorrow morning. I get to go home now. Normally I would be nothing but happy, but this time it is different. I can’t wait to see my wife and kids again, and visit with my mom and dad. I look forward to walking our dog, sleeping in our own bed, cooking on the grill, driving my own car, and all the other aspects of my regular life that I love. But this time, I have feelings similar to the ones I had before leaving home for this project. I am going to miss the new friends I have made here. I have met many good, warm-hearted people as I travel around the world working on various projects, but this time it is like I became part of another family.

I intruded on the lives of everyone at a small company here in Thailand. They didn’t treat me like an intruder, a client, customer or co-worker, they first treated me like a friend, then treated me like family.
The owner has a huge heart, he wants to help people have better lives, he even named the company “Lifestyle Development” for that reason. His wife has an equally huge heart, she puts a lot of effort into making sure everyone is comfortable. She even brought my favorite dog (I think they have 5) to the office to visit on my last day there.

Their kind hearted approach to life influences everyone in the company. I already told you about the man who rode elephants with me, he is kind hearted and uplifting beyond description.

The girls that work in the office are always smiling and happy, and made me feel welcomed. The one standing next to me in the photograph not only is pretty, sweet and a good worker. She can pry a bottle cap off a bottle with her teeth! I didn’t believe either, until I saw it with my own eyes.












The maid tirelessly attended to cleaning, sweeping, bringing me cold water, bringing hot coffee, and cleaning up the mess when I flailed my hand around and knocked a glass of water across our table full of documents. The workers put in incredible effort to communicate with me and finish the project to my satisfaction, and put up with my periodic impatience and blundering.

I won’t go into any more detail than that. I’m glad to go home but sad to leave. Enjoy the photographs of my family in Thailand.