Ghana, Day 1

Hi Ruth!

After a long flight, I'm in Ghana.

Right now, I'm just tired [Melissa: And every time I think too much about you and Ruth, I start to hyperventilate]. So I don't have much to say about Ghana yet. But I wanted to say something about you.

When you were tiny, you used to sleep on my chest, and I thought that was the best thing ever. In fact, I used to get a little bit sad, because I would think about how much I loved it when you did that, and how it wouldn't be too long until you didn't sleep on my chest any more.

And now you're bigger, and you don't.

But...

The other night, the night before I left, I read you lots of poems - because you asked, but also because I wasn't ready to let you go to sleep yet. I told you that I was leaving, and I was going to miss you terribly, and you smiled at me, and put your hand on my face as we snuggled, and told me to be brave. It was exactly what I needed you to do at that moment, and it made me feel so loved, that I thought it was the best thing ever.

On the plane, I got really sad, thinking about it. Because I realized that there wasn't going to be much more time that you were going to want to snuggle with me, and read poems. And there wouldn't be much more time that you were so sweet and straightforward to just smile and tell me - your Dad - to be brave. And I knew I would miss it.

But then I thought back to you lying on my chest, and how I do miss that, but there are so many other things, that I knew I would just have to wait and look forward to the next best thing ever.