Sunday, quiet and cold - my husband left for Sicily yesterday to visit his mama.  She's getting very old and frail and he loves her very much, so after much rushing around organising passports, flights and time off work he's returning to Palermo after a 30 year absence. He saw his mama about 15 years ago when she was in Sydney, but she returned to Sicily years ago and is now too ill to travel.  His favourite sister who lives in Sydney phoned to say she and her husband were travelling to London to see their daughter and then on to Palermo this was the catalyst for the decision to go. Lots of tears at the airport....he said "Let's go home" 20 mins. after check in... I told him..."Too late you've checked in your luggage, get going, the sooner you go the sooner you get back" .  We have been married 12 years this year, and have never been apart for longer than a few hours....how soppy is that!  Even when I've been hospitalized, there he is sitting by the bed waiting for me to wake up.  I'm very lucky to have him, though  our families think we are an odd match, we have very different personalities and there is a 13 year age gap (me 45 him 58).  Can't say I have felt this way about anyone in my life before.  My first husband was a constant traveller and when he went away, I always felt slightly relieved.....sad, but true.  For a long time I thought I would be very happy to live alone with my kids and animals.  How things change.