So I got back from my journey to Oahu, Hawaii. Been home a couple of weeks now. Our plane left Honolulu on a Wednesday at 5:55 p.m. and landed in Dallas, Texas on Thursday morning a little after 6:00 a.m. We got off the plane and changed terminals just in time to get on the plane to Tulsa. We got off the plane in Tulsa about 8:00 and headed to baggage claim and then got a shuttle bus to get the pickup. It was about 10:00 a.m. and we were on our way home!

Ten days away from home is a pretty long stretch to be gone. There is a five hour time difference (that is 5 hours earlier than here) and that does take some adjustment. But then there are other things to adjust to on the island of Oahu other than just the time.

I did not wake up with the chickens. Oh no, we woke up to a different kind of bird… doves…and lots of them. I bet you didn’t know that doves are so noisy. The cooing and not the crowing. The island has literally thousands of doves, and I think they camped out under my bedroom window every morning. And then there is the time difference. My mind knew what time it was, but my body refused to listen or believe. So at 6:30 each night, I was struggling to stay awake. I made it to 9 o’clock most nights and then it is, “Lights out, Alice!” But, then 2:30 in the morning comes along and your body is saying, “Hey, you going to sleep all day? It is time to get up!” My mind was saying, “SHUT UP,” but my body was ready to get up. Come along Monday (after one week on the island) and my mind and body decided to play nice to each other, and I actually could sleep until six (but I leave for home on Wednesday!)

Oh, and then there is the bed. I must be getting old. I just can’t sleep well anywhere else but in my own bed…and on my own pillows. It wasn’t that the bed was too hard or too soft. It was actually quite comfortable. The pillow (singular) however was a different story. Both combined together, and I just did not sleep well at all. I missed my bed.

To add to this is the fact that anytime we got ready to go somewhere, there was an unbelievable amount of traffic. Seemed everyone wanted to go the same direction I was. People walking, people riding bikes and motorcycles, people in cars…PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE! Did you know there are over 900,000 on the island of Oahu? The island is 33 miles wide and 44 miles long. To put this in perspective, the total population of all of the Hawaiian Islands is only 1.4 million. So, you could say there is a crowding problem (and this does not even include the tourism).

So the time difference, the strange noises, strange bed and traffic all combined to aid in my readiness to make the return trip back home. Someone asked if I was going to retire there. The answer was a resounding, “NO!”

It was good to get back home again, but even this came with some challenges. We got in early in the morning and remained up for quite a while (over 24 straight hours). Acclimating to time back stateside was way more difficult than it was on the island. But, oh the comfort of my own bed, the shapeliness of my pillows (plural), the quiet of the outdoors (sleeping and waking up) and it was heavenly only having to wait on three cars to pass before getting on the highway. Yep, it was good to be back home.

I was reminded, though, Gore is only a stopping off place. Now that doesn’t mean I do not like Gore or plan on picking up and moving anytime soon. Wherever I end up (retirement someday), it still is not going to be home. It will be a good place, but there is a better place that waits for us.

Several have commented about being able to go to Hawaii. How lucky we are and how it must be so beautiful. And the answer to that is, absolutely. It is beautiful. You can see some of the sunset pictures I posted on Facebook. I have got a gazillion pics of flowers, trees, the ocean, palm trees and scenic views. It is a place everyone should go once in their lifetime, but it is not home.

2 Corinthians 5:20 reminds us we are ambassadors for Christ. We are from somewhere else, and we are here representing Him! Our real home is in Heaven if we’re Christians! One day we will return home to be with Him for an eternity. Just like I went to Hawaii, more or less representing Oklahoma (my accent was talked about often). But I was there for just a little while and then I came home.

One day we will go home to Him and spend eternity. Until then, I will represent Jesus and enjoy my time where He has placed me. But it will always be good to be back home. Can’t wait to say that in eternity!

Kind of Homesick, Bro. Tim