Deafening Silence

My family left today. For my parents, after a month of being here. My brother and sister-inlaw had been here for a week.

With all the commotion and activity and the screaming kids, admittedly it took some getting used to. But then when things settled in, it was heartwarming to see our daughter look up to, and play with her cousins. Or to have my mom and dad teach her the same Hokkien phrases I grew up with. Or have her coo at them. Or simply to share a beer and a nice conversation with my big brother and dad; it's fun in a way, realizing that we're all adults now, and we can have a grown up conversation.

After some migraine-inducing moments with United Airlines (which I won't go into today) they finally caught their flight out to LAX.

And so, for the first time in a month, the house is quiet. There is peace.

Except suddenly it doesn't feel like a home anymore. Like there's something missing. And the silence seems deafening.

I'm sure we'll get back to our own routine, but it'll take a few days. And just a few hours into it, we're missing them already.

Have a safe flight back!