Friday, July 16, 2010

In which I'm home, but not

So I'm in Michigan right now.

I'd forgotten how humid it is here. The air, it's close and heavy. Lungs have to work harder. My hair takes twice as long to dry and I feel like I'm wet long after the shower is over.

Michigan is a place where you can believe fairies exist. It's full of little forest glades and wooded groves. The colors are somehow more intense here, and you can find every shade of green on a short summer stroll.

image here

I've missed the trees. I'm friends with several, you know. They don't seem to mind that I've been away for so long; there aren't any awkward pauses in our conversations. They know me. And I've measured my life by theirs.

We're packing up my mom and sister. It is a bittersweet, melancholy process. They've been in this house for almost twenty years, and I greet memories in every corner.

I'm going to be doing a Trip Down Memory Lane series for the next few weeks while we're here.

Watch me grow up - and say goodbye.

12 comments:

Jocelyn Christensen said...

this post makes me sad...growing up is hard to do...packing up memories even harder! Good luck...I'm from Ohio you know...originally...

Amy said...

This one was a hard one to read. It made me remember all the fun times I had in your home growing up. The sleepovers, the late night chats, the crazy times! When I think of you I will always associate you with that house.

I hope you all can peacefully walk away from the memories focusing on the good ones.

Megan said...

It's a joyfully hard journey. After my grandmother died, my cousins and I came together to empty a house that grandpa had built for their growing family. As the cherished relics were removed in cooperative fashion, the home became a house. May you enjoy your journey as this new page is turned.

*hugs*

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

Oh bittersweet and melancholy indeed! But so much change (and hopefully of the good variety) on the horizon. Thinking of you...hoping for you...

And still a little happy-sniffly over the card I got in the mail yesterday.

Elizabeth said...

I miss the trees, too. (like, whoa.) Sometime you will have to let me take you to Virginia and show you around. And up to New England. I'm pretty sure there really are fairies in upstate New York. Or there were last time I was there. I think there are probably more in, say, New Hampshire.

In the balance of comforting and hard, I hope the comforting things tip the scales for you. Mark and I are both thinking of you, and we love you very much.

Unknown said...

Thank you for taking us with you. We're behind you all the way. And this was beautifully written.

MayerFamily said...

Stay strong, miss you!

HeatherKitts said...

This just made me cry :( I can't imagine how hard that is.

dawn said...

I love her, and will miss her sooo much. I'm glad she has you. Thank you.

Harmony said...

I want to be with you. So bad. For so many reasons.

Tamra Watson said...

*sigh*, I wish I could wave a magic fairy-wand from your forest and make it all better.

I hope you know I'm thinking of you!

Abracos and Beijos!

Melanie Jacobson said...

All right. Now I'm kind of verklempt.