March 8, 2014
Ahna is gone. She left Chiang Mai
not on a jet plane, but on a bus with Aaron, her fiancé. This is the catalyst
that has started me writing again. I can honestly say with about 90% certainty
that I would not be alive today without her, so this is a pretty tough day for me. Her absence will affect me profoundly of
course, but it would be untrue to think that I am the only one who will miss
her. Ahna left all of us in Chiang Mai, all of us who love her dearly and want the best for
her and have shared our lives with her for the past four years. She left us to
go start a new story with her new husband, and it is without a doubt the best
for her. But that does not make it suck any less. I am just sitting here
thinking of all the traumatic things and all of the exciting and happy things I
have shared and endured with her over the years. I think I have spent more time
with Ahna than with any other person in this country other than Sophie. The
ripple effect of her presence in this country, at Taw Saeng and in my life will
be everlasting, but the ripple effects of her leaving will be hard to overcome.
I actually think Ahna may be the only
person I have ever known who has seen me at my absolute rock bottom worst and loved
me anyway. She is a true representation of Christ’s love in this world.
Selfishly, I (and all her friends) want her and Aaron to move back here to
Thailand after their wedding, but that would mean depriving another place of
the awesomeness and impact they could have as a couple. I truly believe that
those two will change the world. They’ve already changed mine.
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| Rock climbing with the kids and Seal |
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| At a coffee shop near Orawan's in-laws' home stay |
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| Aaron and Ahna in the cheesy Thai "love" pose. Clearly Aaron is totally into it. |
