30 Thankful Days in Photos: Day 8

I've come to this realization on my blog before: Even though earth's land surface is an enormous 57.5 million square miles, it's amazing how there are connections on the other side of the world!
Emily's good friends, Rob and Tasha, moved to Munich earlier this year. (Munich is about a 4 hour drive from here). Emily was roommates with Tasha (in D.C.) who married Rob. Jer and I had the opportunity to meet Rob this past week when he came to stay with us while taking a class on base. Rob is a really nice guy!
A few days ago I was talking to my mom and she told me some connections that are really cool! She said she grew up with Rob's triplet aunt and uncles, and she just recently saw them at her class reunion. There are some other coincidental meetings and connections too. It's just so funny to meet someone for the first time in Germany that has a bigger connection to my immediate family than I ever thought! Sometimes it seems like the world's vastness keeps expanding and I live so far away. But then, just as I start to think about how far away from my family I live, or how long it would take to fly back to Seattle (I sort of dread that trip!), something happens that makes the world's expanse shrink a bit.
We've enjoyed having Rob here. I'm a little sad to see him go. He is the perfect guest--quiet, polite, kind, clean...
Today I feel really thankful for family--not just the family you would think of in the traditional sense: my family doesn't have to include only people I'm related to by blood or marriage. I've been realizing over the past several months that other people who truly care about you, and you also care about can also be considered family. It's a different type of family I never knew about or experienced until we moved here.
I'm happy to know Rob now, and hopefully next time, Tasha will be able to come too. It's nice to find and meet people who can be a part of family in Germany. I feel like I'm not alone over here.