Five Minute Friday & Celebrate this Week.
[I’ve linked up with Kate Motaung where bloggers share their five minute quick write on a chosen word. I’ve also linked up with Ruth Ayres where bloggers share something they are celebrating.]
The VISIT
I.
One of my favorite stories is Cynthia Rylant’s The Relatives Came.
II.
It reminds me of my childhood. Every summer we drove from Indiana through Ohio, across Pennsylvania with its Turnpike and tunnels, and on to New Jersey to visit the relatives.
III.
It reminds me of the years when my children were young and we drove from Dallas, Texas, to the panhandle of Oklahoma to visit my husband’s relatives.
IV.
A five minute quick write
00:00.00 Start…
I remember those visits!
We travel all day long
and into the night.
And while we travel along
we looked at strange places
we crossed rivers
and drove through mountains.
We ate up all our snacks
and drank up our water
and still there was further to go.
And when we arrive there
was so much hugging,
so much grinning,
so much talking and laughing.
Voices filled the house all day
and snoring filled it all night.
And during those long, lazy days
of summer, it seemed that
time stood still until
the day when in the morning
darkness we climbed out of bed
And in their pajamas, the relatives hugged us,
long lingering wistful hugs,
already talking about next year.
We crammed our luggage
and ourselves into our car,
and wave goodbye.
Then when we could longer see them,
we settled down in the quiet
of our car for the long, long drive home.
… End 05:31.27
V.
And now, there is a third generation making trips to visit, boarding planes to travel from one continent to another. But this time, I’m not on the traveling side. I’m on the waiting side and the waving goodbye side as each year my son and his family come home for an extended visit.
VI.
And so, this week, I again celebrate family.
… my husband
… our children and their spouses
… our grandchildren
… the joy of being together
… the overflowing love that draws us together
… the deep river of faith that binds us together
All the cousins together on the stairs of the beach house.
Thank you Kate Motaung for hosting.
Read more about Five Minute Friday. #fmfparty
I’m linking up with Ruth Ayres
where bloggers share something
they are celebrating. Thank you Ruth for #Celebratelu.
Wow, Alice, that’s quite a crew of cousins! I loved your writing inspired by The Relatives Came, a book I love too.
“so much hugging,
so much grinning,
so much talking and laughing.”
Love this!
And then the “long lingering wistful hugs”
at the end of the visit that capture the delight and sadness that comes with the departure.
What a wonderful celebration this week –
“… the joy of being together
… the overflowing love that draws us together
… the deep river of faith that binds us together”
Happy visiting!
Thanks for sharing these lovely memories and experiences of visiting your family. Blessings.
I wonder if you drove across the “humming bridge” in Ohio that my family and I would cross going from Indiana to visit or Ohio and Kentucky relatives…
Your quick write was fun to read. I am visiting my parents this weekend, alone. Feels weird not to have kids in tow. But wonderful as well. Have a great Memorial Day!
Oh, Margaret, I read about your dad’s marvelous book of ancestors. Enjoy your visit!
It’s a favorite book of mine, too, Alice. Now I have part of the family across town, but everyone else is far, & we have to wait for those travelers. Love “so much hugging,/so much grinning”. It’s perfect.
I think I enjoy watching everyone hugging as much as I do giving and getting the hugs.
I LOVE that book. I read to both of my children and they also enjoyed it…maybe not as much as me, but it made them laugh and ask questions. Loved your free write as well, Alice. I must say, I feel even closer to you now, book buddy 🙂
Thanks, Mandy. Shared books do draw us closer.
Loved this post. Reminded me of my trip as my friends and I roadtripped from ND to TX last week. I’m in the 3 spot this week.
I love road trips! I guess I got an early start on them in my childhood. We once did over 6,000 miles in a single road trip — saw and did so many things. It was our Christmas that year. No tree, no presents, no cookies baked, no special dinners. Put all the $’s into the trip. Great times, great memories.
Awww… reminds me of many trips that I have taken with my family and friends.
🙂
Family!! Great post. #fmf
Thanks for visiting, Carolina 🙂
Alice, this is so moving for me…I never had the experience of happy trips to visit relatives. The way I grew up, I looked for every opportunity to go bush, and stayed there until I was dragged back.
But my wife did have these experiences, and through your words I saw a bit more clearly through her eyes, and came to see more of what I have missed.
Thank you for this!
#1 at FMF this week.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2017/05/your-dying-spouse-315-victory-fmf.html
Thanks for visiting me, Andrew. As a child, I didn’t realize how blessed I was that my folks made sacrifices for those yearly visits. The memories of them are part of my treasures.