It's not goodbye it's see you later

It's been almost 1 year since Marco and I went to Toronto to visit family and celebrate our marriage. And with all of the chaos and busyness that we've had here after moving and trying to settle in, it's been hard to miss my family in Canada, much less the life I left behind in London.

But I've missed them and even though we've been in touch via Skype and email, I was shocked to find that when I saw them on their visit to Italy this month, my heart nearly broke. I miss them so much. I miss having them in my life. I miss being a part of a family that includes them. In spite of all the tensions and pressures involved in being in a 'family', I feel that a part of me is gone now that they've left. Saying goodbye was so hard because our time together here was so short, so intense and so bitter-sweet, knowing that they'd soon leave, that I was barely able to walk out of the airport after they went through airport security.

Maybe it's also knowing that it might be another 10 months until I see them again. 
This expat, living in beautiful Italy thing is not for the weak...It's also not as sweet as most would think, but it's a choice I've made and I'm going to try to work it out.