"In Carolina or in Georgia open arms are waiting for you./Carry on, carry on, sweet southern comfort, carry on." (Buddy Jewell, "Sweet Southern Comfort")
After our big day at Stone Mountain, we spent Tuesday in my hometown of Marietta, Georgia.
We started the day by visiting a landmark I’ve told my kids about and shown them photos of; we even have a bird house in our back yard in the shape of this landmark: the Big Chicken!
It’s actually a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in the shape of a triangular chicken. We went inside, bought souvenirs, and took photos.
After the Big Chicken, we headed to my old high school. It is an old building in dire need of updates, and it’s actually being torn down this summer. We walked through the halls where my sister, brother and I spent our formative years. It was such a mix of emotions for me: it made me homesick, made me feel old, and watching my children walk the hallways made me feel like two halves of my life were colliding. Since I live an eight-hours’-drive from my hometown and no immediate family living there, my children have never been to my hometown. The mother part of my life has been separated from my earlier years.
It’s odd to be in a place where ghosts of the past walk with my present and future.
As if that wasn’t weird enough, I watched my son run all over the football field where his namesake spent his glory days. Wow.
Before we left my high school, we stopped at the cafeteria and I signed my name to the wall where other alumni have left their mark. Remember, it’ll all be torn down – but it was fun to leave graffiti!
We moved on to the REAL walk down memory lane: visiting the house where I grew up. And THIS is when the tears finally welled up in my eyes. I pushed my daughter in a swing in my former front yard, thinking of all the things that have changed since I last peeked out my bedroom window and wished my life would just hurry up and start already! (I never realized it already had…)
The kids and I posed for a photo on the front steps. (One day I’ll scan the photo of me and my siblings on those same steps and compare the two here.)
Our last stop was at my hometown church. Dan and I took the kids into the tiny chapel where we were married, and Katie took our photo while we reenacted our first married kiss.
Who would have thought empty buildings could hold so much emotion for me?
It was time for us to head back to our hotel for the fun to begin. We invited some old friends to swim at the hotel pool and visit with us for a while. I especially loved my childhood friends’ kids playing with my kids. So cool!
It was so good to see the faces of those who have known and loved me and my family for so many years.
I loved showing my Home Sweet Home to my kids.
1 comment:
There are so many cool things about this post that I don't know where to start. I was choked up reading it.
P.S. Have you lost more weight lately? You look downright skinny!
Post a Comment