I'll Be "Homeward Bound"

I have 4 more full days at the Jerusalem Center program. I can't believe the final week in Jerusalem is here. I could not even fathom leaving the Jerusalem Center during that first week being here. I have mixed emotions about leaving. On one hand, I'm sad that this whole 4 month experience is coming to an end. This whole experience has been unbelievable. I love the people, places, and everything here. On the other hand, I'm happy to go back home to Hawaii for a bit and then to BYU Provo. I feel like I have a lot to come back to. The song "Homeward Bound" that the Mormon Tabernacle sings reminds me of the Jerusalem Center coming to an end. I am posting the lyrics because they are beautiful:

In the quiet misty morning, when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red,
When the summer's ceased its gleaming, when the corn is past its prime,
When adventure's lost its meaning, I'll be homeward bound in time.

Bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I'll return to you somehow.

If you find it's me you're missing, if you're hoping I'll return,
To your thought I'll soon be list'ning; in the road I'll stop and turn.
Then the wind will set me racing as my journey nears its end,
And the path I'll be retracing when I'm homeward bound again.

Bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I'll return to you somehow.

In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing, I'll be homeward bound again.

This song changed my perspective on leaving. The phrase "set me free to find my calling" makes me excited to apply and teach all that I have learned in the Jerusalem Center programs. I feel like I can fully apply and teach what I've learned once I return to the states. 

I absolutely love the 3rd verse. It's my favorite verse out of the whole song. The 3rd verse made me excited to come back to loved ones. "To your thought I'll soon be listening; in the road I'll stop and turn." If you hope for me to return, I promise I'll stop and turn.