i really appreciate this story. thank you for sharing. there is a great quote from a book called "reading lolita...." that you might like. it goes something like- "something strange happens when you are getting ready to leave a place. not that you will only miss the place itself and the people you have come to love, but you will also miss the person you are at that exact place and time. because once you leave, you will never be that same person again." sometimes it is a difficult truth to accept that we can never go back. thanks again for sharing! la.