{"id":5017,"date":"2013-06-25T03:51:41","date_gmt":"2013-06-25T19:51:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catchingfireflies.com\/blog\/?p=5017"},"modified":"2015-04-25T20:47:42","modified_gmt":"2015-04-26T00:47:42","slug":"a-piece-of-my-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/a-piece-of-my-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"a piece of my heart"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>June has become the month of goodbyes for Steve and me.\u00a0 Last year we sent our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/2012\/07\/a-journey-to-remember\/\">first German daughter, Tessa<\/a> back to Waldshut and last week Jule, our second German daughter made her way back to Berlin.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/jules-friends.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5020\" alt=\"jules friends\" src=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/jules-friends.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/jules-friends.jpg 612w, http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/jules-friends-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/jules-friends-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 612px) 100vw, 612px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Just like real kids, each of these girls were unique and special in their own ways.\u00a0 Coming from a large city, Jule was incredibly independent and fearless when it came to making friends.\u00a0 I was amazed by her ability to connect with so many juniors and seniors from different friend groups.\u00a0 Most of the time we saw these interactions happen virtually through texting, snapchat, facebook, instagram, twitter and most recently vine (<em>can there be any more social options?!<\/em>)\u00a0 But at her surprise going away party we saw many of her close friends come together and it was really a rewarding moment.<\/p>\n<p>I realized that her short stay with us was much larger than just <em>her<\/em> experience.\u00a0 Of course as host parents we connect, learn, change and grow throughout the year but it was such a gift to see how her friends also broke boundaries and made strong bonds that changed their school year experience for the better.\u00a0\u00a0 They even made this heartwarming goodbye video for her!<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vqYzzG34Uzg?rel=0\" height=\"315\" width=\"560\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I was recently listening to a message from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.northpoint.org\/messages\/follow\" target=\"_blank\">Andy Stanley<\/a> about having a faith that frees us from fear.\u00a0 And there&#8217;s no doubt that making the choice to have a teenager you don&#8217;t know from a different country live with you for a year is a bit scary.\u00a0 It is.\u00a0 And it&#8217;s not <em>all<\/em> happy <a href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/tuesdaycat#\" target=\"_blank\">instagram photos<\/a> (but I&#8217;m going to show those to you anyways ;-)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/jule-collage.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5019\" alt=\"jule year in michigan\" src=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/jule-collage.jpg\" width=\"700\" height=\"700\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/jule-collage.jpg 700w, http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/jule-collage-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/jule-collage-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But making these kind of choices in life does free you from fear and opens up your capacity to love&#8230; and that&#8217;s a pretty amazing thing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/products\/custom-map-frame.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5018\" alt=\"custom state photo frame\" src=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/custom-state-photo-frame.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"490\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/custom-state-photo-frame.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/custom-state-photo-frame-300x245.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Jule&#8217;s short stay in the mitten will always have a dear place in her heart so I designed <a href=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/products\/custom-map-frame.html\" target=\"_blank\">this frame<\/a> as a goodbye present and wrote a personal message on the back.\u00a0\u00a0 Even though I&#8217;ve never been to Berlin, part of my heart will also be connected to that city as I continue to track with Jule in the upcoming years.<\/p>\n<p>People always ask Steve and me if we&#8217;re going to host again. \u00a0 Since we&#8217;ve done it for the past 2 years, we&#8217;ve been saying that we were going to take a year off&#8230; but when we step away from the everyday and look at the impact we have on these kids and the people they meet it does make you see things differently.<\/p>\n<p>If this is an adventure you would like to experience please don&#8217;t hesitate to email me with any concerns, questions or curiosities.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/yfuusa.org\/host-families\/preparing-to-host.php\" target=\"_blank\">Host families come in all sizes and ages<\/a>. \u00a0 I&#8217;d be happy\u00a0 to chat candidly about our experiences with you.\u00a0 To see what students still need homes in your area for the upcoming school year, I encourage you to visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.yfu-usa.org\/host-families\/student-profiles.php?sid=33720263\" target=\"_blank\">YFU-USA.org<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>Like to see how I spend my time away from catching fireflies<\/strong><strong>?\u00a0 Then sign up to receive blog posts like these in your email inbox <\/strong><\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/catchingfireflies.com\/blog\/get-the-latest-updates-in-your-inbox\/\"><strong>HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"flaresmith\" class=\"feedflare\"><script src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~s\/http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/catchingfireflies\/TyNo?i=http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/a-piece-of-my-heart\/\" type=\"text\/javascript\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div><div class=\"linkwithin_hook\" id=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/a-piece-of-my-heart\/\"><\/div><script>\n<!-- \/\/LinkWithinCodeStart\nvar linkwithin_site_id = 944859;\nvar linkwithin_div_class = \"linkwithin_hook\";\n\/\/LinkWithinCodeEnd -->\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/widget.js\"><\/script>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/pixel.png\" alt=\"Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...\" style=\"border: 0\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>June has become the month of goodbyes for Steve and me.\u00a0 Last year we sent our first German daughter, Tessa back to Waldshut and last week Jule, our second German daughter made her way back to Berlin. Just like real kids, each of these girls were unique and special in their own ways.\u00a0 Coming from a large city, Jule was incredibly independent and fearless when it came to making friends.\u00a0 I was amazed by her ability to connect with so many juniors and seniors from different friend groups.\u00a0 Most of the time we saw these interactions happen virtually through texting, snapchat, facebook, instagram, twitter and most recently vine (can there be any more social options?!)\u00a0 But at her surprise going away party we saw many of her close friends come together and it was really a rewarding moment. I realized that her short stay with us was much larger than just her experience.\u00a0 Of course as host parents we connect, learn, change and grow throughout the year but it was such a gift to see how her friends also broke boundaries and made strong bonds that changed their school year experience for the better.\u00a0\u00a0 They even made this heartwarming goodbye&hellip; <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/a-piece-of-my-heart\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n<script>\n<!-- \/\/LinkWithinCodeStart\nvar linkwithin_site_id = 944859;\nvar linkwithin_div_class = \"linkwithin_hook\";\n\/\/LinkWithinCodeEnd -->\n<\/script>\n<script src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/widget.js\"><\/script>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.linkwithin.com\/pixel.png\" alt=\"Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...\" style=\"border: 0\" \/><\/a>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2522],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-my-pad"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5017"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5024,"href":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5017\/revisions\/5024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.catchingfirefliesgifts.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}