It’s been more than 40 years since we were together in this space.
Cousins.
We’ve spent most of our life apart.
Connected through words.
Letters, a love for the Lord and Literature.
Life was so different.
Yet, even in that time. . .there was ache.
A divorce.
Children caught in the middle.
A trip together to a family space.
Cousins.
Memories made.
We walk and talk.
Memories emerge that were long since forgotten.
This was the space where we had a fire.
I can almost hear the sound of the voices gathered in song.
We washed dishes and played games on that vacation.
We hiked and played miniature golf.
Time with Cousins.
We returned bottles to the store.
I breathe in deeply.
We ascend the staircase.
There’s been some remodeling in this old camp.
We walk to the old section.
We pause in the screened in room.
The cold air seeps in.
I wrap my arms around my body.
I close my eyes and for a moment I am a kid again.
These are sweet moments I share with my cousin.
If these old walls could talk.
We used to say it when we were younger.
Now, I think back on the generations of family members that have been in this space.
Really .
If these walls could talk. . .
They would tell the story of laughter and meals around the dining room table.
They would tell of games of UNO and cheating and s’mores.
They would tell of way too many people in a house with one bathroom.
And they would tell of grace and endless laughter.
We need to get going.
We want to be back at the farm before dark.
We turn and gaze at the water and the mountain before we leave.
A cousins gathering more than 40 years ago.
The mountain and water that my mom and dad loved.
That mountain and water that soothed my aching heart during my sons death and my farmers cancer.
This space that family members have worked hard to maintain.
I am grateful.
We turn to go.
We’re quiet.
The silence holds our hearts.
30 Days of Thankfulness
I am thankful for
A walk down memory lane
Cousins
the mountain and the moon and the memories on Lake Dunmore
coffee and talks and never enough time with a cousin
Grace that holds us all
the raw beauty around us
Lingering foliage
Crisp Autumn Air
Hot, open face, turkey dinners with steaming cups of coffee
Cuban Coffee
Brown eyes that twinkle when she laughs
Deep conversations
Shared faith
Ideas and thoughts that make me think
years of friendship with my cousin
