The Morning of Departure: Carrying Hope and Courage to Germany

The Morning of Departure: Carrying Hope and Courage to Germany

This morning feels different.
The cabin is quiet. My bags are packed, my tools rest for a while, and Kato’s little things are carefully folded beside mine. Today is the day we leave for Germany.

There’s always a particular stillness right before a journey begins. The anticipation and the weight of what’s ahead sit side by side. I feel it deeply this morning. My heart holds so many emotions at once: a bit of nervousness, yes, but also a quiet, steady courage. And, above all, hope.

Hope for beautiful moments with my family — for conversations over coffee, for reunions that have waited far too long. Hope for Kato to see familiar places with more curious eyes, to feel the love of our family, even through all the changes. Hope for myself too: to breathe a little deeper, to let Germany refill parts of me that have felt so drained.

This trip will not be without its challenges. I know this. There are parts of the journey that feel heavy, moments I have thought about many times in these past weeks. But even so, I trust that the story will carry us gently forward.

I remind myself that I have walked through storms before and found calm on the other side. This is just another chapter — one that will bring its own lessons and gifts.

As I close the door to my cabin today, I carry with me not only my suitcase but also the warmth of your support. These walls have held so much of my healing, my creating, my quiet steps forward — and I know they will be waiting for me when I return.

I will write again from Germany, when the dust of travel has settled and my heart has found its first moments of stillness in the old familiar places.

Until then, wish us a smooth journey — and I’ll see you on the other side of the ocean.

With love from the morning of departure,
Sophie