Slowing down and breathing...

((give away winner will be announced on Monday!))

We are spending the Labor Day weekend at my Father's childhood home. I have the warmest memories of long weekends spent here at Grammie and Grampie Parker's house as a child, teenager and young adult. My family of five (plus the dog) along with my mom and dad have been busy making more memories here together over the past few days.

The girls are roaming free through lush green lawns, picking clover and brown-eyed-susan, climbing "the big rock", and collecting treasures of acorns, feathers and sticks. We are mushroom hunting along the side of the road. We are spying dozens of wild turkey crossing the worn down country road into the cover of brush and trees. We have journeyed to the pond to toss rocks and play "sink or float" with flowers and sticks and leaves and pebbles. Weary grown ups have carried tired littles home from long walks.

We rode carousel rides at the fair, licked all the powdered sugar off the plate after the last bite of fried dough was gone, and cried when drippy ice cream cones met their demise on the walk back to the car.

I have spent two nights sleeping in the same twin bed that welcomed me every visit I've made to this house. I have watched my girls explore this serene, magical place with excitement and wonder. I am spending some desperately needed quiet time with people who mean the most to me, and I'm relishing every minute of it.

I have rocked my littlest babe to sleep for the past two nights in my grandmother's rocking chair. It has been almost two years since my Grammie passed away, but I still feel her presence so strongly in every corner of this house. It is difficult to look at the space where her garden once was, the weeds taking over her flower beds, no newspaper crossword puzzle folded neatly at her seat at the kitchen table. I always held my Grammie up on a pedestal. She was kind and generous and enjoyed having her family around her. I miss her.

Although my girls won't know their great Grammie Parker, they will know this place. They will run in her fields and pick her flowers and eat on her white plates with the little green flowers on the edges. They will breathe in the fresh country air and snuggle under blankets on cool nights. They will have memories of this place and time so heavily influenced by an amazing woman.

We are packing up and heading home later today. There will be a loud car ride, lots of laundry, and probably take out pizza for dinner to look forward to. I'm savoring every breath of fresh air I can take in for as long as I can before we head out. Life is good. So, so good.

Comments

[debbie standard]

What delightful pictures and love your story. My grandparents farm was one of my most wonderful memories as well. Spent some fabulous time there when I was little listening to the rain on the tin roof and the roosters crowing at dawn. Unfortunately it burned down and never got to share it with my youngest two although the older ones had some wonderful times there as well.