The Guy We Call Scarecrow

There is a mood, a feeling, an atmosphere around the Warren home these days.  I have been racking my brain to come up with a single word that could describe it accurately.  A word that could encompass all that the kids and I are feeling as we await the remaining 26 days until our hero comes home.  It has been 142 days since we have seen the guy we call husband, dad, brother, son, uncle, nephew, friend...

photo taken by NOT RYAN

In those 142 days, we have gone through the end of spring, the whole summer, and most of the fall season thinking about, talking to, dreaming of, praying for and missing our guy.  On one hand, I am thankful for all that we have going on right now to occupy our time - school, work, soccer, football, scouts, and every day life -  as it has kept us extremely busy, allowing the weeks to rapidly fly by.  On the other hand, the schedule we are keeping is quite chaotic and somewhat overwhelming.  So, all of this, jumbled together, is generating a semblance of eagerness and anticipation for us to sort through as we count down the days.  Each time we talk to Teddy, he gives us his new location - hundreds of miles closer to his goal.  Closer to the finish line.  Closer to getting on the plane and flying home to us.  These welcomed calls bring strong feelings of restlessness, waves of impatience, bouts of anxiousness and always an abundance of pride.  All of these emotions, these feelings, these words... they all bring me to one word they have in common - ANTSY.

According to dictionary.com. ants·y [ant-see] unable to sit or stand still; fidgety


There you have it - the description of our physical and emotional state as we anticipate the arrival of the guy we call Scarecrow.  We cannot wait to see him - yes, even his grizzly face and skeletal body.  We cannot wait to hug him tight - yes, hiker funk and all.  We cannot wait to have him home, to hear his stories, to see his smile, and hear his voice.  Yes, we are ANTSY.  There is so much to look forward to in the next 26 days, all coming from the guy we call Scarecrow.

~The Thruhiker's Wife~