Sunday, September 11, 2011

Georgia on My Mind

I spent all of last week visiting my family in Georgia. I hadn't seen them since Christmas. That Christmas was the first one without my grandmother. No matter how much time passes, it's hard to come to grips with the fact that she and my uncle are dead. Because I lived next to them when I was growing up, they were a huge part of my life. Every time I went back, they were there. Now that theyre not, I feel like a huge part of me is missing.

When I was checking in at the airport yesterday, the attendant at the counter asked if I was going home. I told him I was going to my "adult" home and that Georgia is my "childhood" home. I spent the first 19 years of my life in Georgia, which gave me the foundation to build my life on. My love, compassion, empathy, and intuition were born there. Upon moving to Massachusetts, I fine-tuned those things through life experience. It hasn't been easy, but I keep looking forward. My "childhood" home is a touchstone that helps me to regain my footing when I feel off-balance. I feel a certain peacefulness upon my return to my "adult"  home.

3 comments:

  1. Mario's mom here: Sounds like you have some wonderful childhood memories upon which to draw from. Your first chapter was completed there - now onward and upward to the rest of your life. You'll never forget your foundation. I feel the same way when I go back home to Madison, except that it's all different because so many family have passed on. Cherish those memories.

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  2. That was beautifully said Michelle. The people that helped mold you into the woman you are today must have been wise, kind and generous of spirit. You carry them with you wherever you go.

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  3. That spoke to me. I have a childhood home and going there is magic every time. It does not matter how long I have been gone..the many experiences I have had since then, it is home..love, warmth and yes, magic. I am young..single digit age. Things were magic back then..discovery of everything from learning to friends to the world and if you're fortunate, love.

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