"As far as I'm concerned, if you're home...

...you're a part of this family."

With those words, I can sleep a little better. A long walk home yesterday gave me the time to think, maybe to convince myself, that this is for the best. I once said that I'd walk into my own destruction if it meant doing what was best for my family. And maybe, just maybe, this is for my own good too.

They say in slavery that the oppressor cannot take away your mind from you. Limbs, lungs, whatever they want they can torture. But your mind is yours alone. In this case, my timetable, my own plans are beyond their reach. And I can do more than just live with that. It actually brings a smile to my face. I think back to one day when an old friend had finally come home after months and oceans apart, and I asked, "How'd you do it? How'd you leave everything?" to which she replied, "I just looked in the mirror and knew I had to walk away." Well said, friend, well said. If you ever look here again, I hope you are proud of me.

The same music that's been playing over and over again has a different feeling to it right now. It's of genuine relief and at the same time excitement. A change of pace, something new, something I didn't want before but now want with all my heart.

Just look what difference a day can make.