“I regarded home as  
a place I left behind  
in order to come back  
to it afterward.”   
Ernest Hemingway

Over the past fifty years, whenever I’ve returned to Nassau for a visit, I’ve always had a sense that I’m home. This is even more true when I visit the campus of Saint Augustine’s College. Any time I’ve returned to the SAC campus, I’ve been overwhelmed with a sense of belonging. This was my home for one brief year of my life, yet the memories and positive feelings I have about this place are as vivid today as they were fifty years ago.

As I wind down this visit to The Bahamas, my last scheduled engagement was a book sale and signing event in the SAC library today. It was an absolute delight to see a number of former students and to visit with a few others via phone calls. Some of them are now living on one of the family islands or in the U.S., so hearing from them by phone was a blessing. A shout-out to Philip Davis for arranging the calls.

I was asked by Myra Mitchell to sign one book for Michelle Albury-Chandler. Michelle is a former student now living in south Massachusetts, where Kathy and I cruised the islands of Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, and Block Island last summer. Later in the evening, I received a phone call from Michelle! It’s amazing how, after more than 50 years, connecting with my former students brings me such joy. I’m always a bit surprised that they remember me, and they’re usually a bit surprised that I remember them.

It’s a little after 11:30 PM here now. While I was energized throughout the day, I’m exhausted now. One last day in Nassau tomorrow before heading home on Tuesday.