Episode 200: Every Destination Has a Story | What Europe Taught Our Family, the Lessons We Brought Home & What Comes Next | Season 5 Finale

And I remember telling the kids something like this.

We're here.

Think about all the cool stuff we're going to do over the next few weeks.

But this will be over before you know it.

I wanted them to understand that, to pay attention, take it in.

Don't rush through it, because these weeks that seemed like they were stretching out in front of us were going to disappear quickly.

And then suddenly, they did.

At the end of the trip, we were back in Rome, and I remember packing my suitcase one last time.

The next morning, I knew I'd be getting up early, walking with the family to the train station, and we'd be catching a train back to the airport.

The trip was over.

And it was bittersweet.

I looked at some of the things I had bought along the way, little reminders of places we had been, things I was trying to fit back into my suitcase, and I thought about how quickly it had all passed.

The places we had talked about for months now were places we had been.

The things we had planned were now memories.

And I had warned the kids it would happen.

And standing there, packing that suitcase, I realized I was right.

We left Europe with luggage full of souvenirs, but the things that mattered most didn't fit in a suitcase.

A warm smile from a woman at a restaurant in Athens whose name I don't remember.

Watching our kids go from asking where the subway was to wanting to lead us there themselves.

Reagan stepping on a sea urchin in Greece and turning a painful setback into a story she'll probably tell for the rest of her life.

Getting locked out of that flat in London and discovering that a frustrating evening could still be a good one.

Watching our kids experience different cultures, different food, different ways of living.

Learning again how easy it is to take blessings for granted.

And eventually coming home and realizing that something as simple as my own bed and a Chick-fil-A sandwich with no pickle could feel pretty special.

Those were some of the souvenirs that mattered.