Making Memories

About two weeks ago, I decided it was time to visit my mother and father.

We, as a family, haven’t been there in about 2 1/2 years. Since my father’s sister was living there.  There was no room for us.  But my Aunt left last Monday to go live with her son ( praise dancing) and I was DETERMINED to spend the holiday weekend at my parent’s house.

My parents live in the country. I mean dirt road, you don’t hear nothing but the crickets and cows country.  I grew up in DC, but when they retired, they moved back “home” as they like to say. And set up house right next to my mother’s sister in the house that my Grandmother left her.

I grew up coming to that very house during the summer and holidays, and some of my best memories are of playing with my cousins.  I was a stuck up city child, but nothing can bring you down to earth like a visit to the country.  I remember riding my bike up and down the roads, sitting outside shelling peas, eating ripe plums off of the trees,  running down to my aunt’s house as soon as I finished those buttermilk biscuits and syrup breakfast( and those pork sausages….).  And me and my cousins: playing and fighting and playing and fighting again…..

I love those memories. And I am determined that Pookah have them too.

Because we’ve all had babies now.  And of course, us being us, those babies are all the same age just like we were.

My boy had so much fun. He got dirty, he got a boo boo, he ripped holes in clothes, he rode his bike up and down the road, he played red light green light, he dug in the dirt, he had grandma’s kisses, granddaddy’s love and joy and so much laughter.

On the way home, he was sad. he said, when am I going to see my cousin’s again Mommy?

I promised him it would be soon. Because I want him to have these glorious summer memories when he gets older. I want him to love his family like I do. I want all of them to be more than family, but friends for life like my cousins and I are.

I think they’re off to a great start.