Hello, Memphis 🌇

After more than twenty hours of flying and layovers, I finally saw the vast Midwest plains from the airplane window — lush green under the soft twilight. My heart suddenly felt at peace, as if I could settle here anonymously and live a quiet life. ✈️🌾 Everything seems unchanged. Those ten months in Singapore feel like a dream, or like morning dew vanishing without a trace under Memphis’s bright sunshine. Walnut Grove Road is still deeply shaded and green; along Wolf River Boulevard, clusters of crape myrtle bloom lavishly. The pear tree in front of our house seems even taller than last year. The withered roses we left behind have been replaced with new pots, blooming quietly by the door. Waiting at a long red light on Poplar Avenue, I realized even the direction I drive and the routes I take have become muscle memory — no thought needed. 🌳🚗 Memphis is a small city with a warm, community-oriented vibe. I remember when I first moved here in 2009, my boss joked, “You can’t mess up here — everyone knows everyone!” 😅 Since returning, I’ve been running into familiar faces everywhere. The kids’ school sent welcome-back gifts 🎁, and friends from church left fruits and desserts quietly at our door. 🍎🍰 After being in Singapore for so long, I had grown used to expressionless encounters. But since coming back, all those dormant emotions seem to have awakened. Smiles and nods between strangers on the street are the norm. During morning walks, people we don’t even know wave from afar and shout, “Good morning!” ☀️👋 For over a decade, I was always counting how much time I had left in each place. Now, in this little city, it feels like I have plenty of time — and a whole future ahead. Everything seems predictable, yet I know challenges and trials will come no matter where I am. I just want to walk forward with Him, receiving new grace each day. 💛 #Memphis #LifeInTheUS #DailyReflections #HomeAgain #MidwestUSA #SouthernUS #USA 🇺🇸