Nothing like going home

We just returned from a family reunion for my father's side of the family in Jacksonville, Fla. It was the first reunion that my husband, Richard, has attended since moving out West in 1995 and only the third for me since then. With the loss of several cousins and one very dear aunt over the past year, it was a time of reconnecting with our roots and watching the children who now have children of their own.

The Smith family doesn't get together without food, and lots of it, too. Uncle LeRoy and Aunt Ardie got up at 2 a.m. to start the turkey and were on the road by 6 a.m. with all the trimmings to make the three-hour drive to Kingsley Lake. He just celebrated his 80th birthday this year and is still the one who all the little children want to be with. They are quick to recognize a true kid-at-heart. Aunt Melba, a young 75, spent most of the week making huge containers of macaroni and cheese, sweet potato casserole and several vegetables. The main meal selections spanned 18 feet of tables with an additional picnic table full of desserts.

Before my father passed away in 2003, he would bring his specialty - smoked pork ribs and chicken. Everyone has missed them but next year they will be in for a treat because while we were in town, we built a smoker grill for our son, Jay, so that he can bring the smoked meats next year. Yummy. Some of us were able to get together after the reunion and just reminisce and laugh until our sides hurt. Laughter is good for the soul, don't you agree?

While in town, we drove by our first home. In 1971, our payments were only $85 per month and the entire cost was less than most used cars today. Who wouldn't like a payment like that again? I remember so well how good it felt to be able to buy a home after only being married for a year. It is the home where our two oldest children, Jay and Shannon, were born, where my dad built our first smoker grill, where we planted trees and added our own personal touches. The family that bought the home from us in 1980 converted the one-car garage into a family room and kept the front porch swing that we used to calm fussy babies by swinging them in the fresh air. Now the trees are so tall in the backyard that it is shady most of the day and the patio is home to a shed for yard tools and the grill is overgrown with vines. The one large tree, a dogwood located on the corner outside the master bedroom, has now been cut down; and the home looks really small. As we drove down the street, Jay was remembering friends that lived in different houses and Rich points to a house several doors down and said, "Wow, they really changed the way it looked!" We all looked at him and said, "That's not our old home," as we laughed - funny how time changes your memory. I decided to take a picture of just the address so he could remember it.

As we drove around old neighborhoods, we were amazed at the explosion of growth. The urban sprawl is everywhere, even here in our own backyard. It is fun to take these trips down memory lane as well as enjoying and being grateful for what we have today.

Hope you have a ramblin' good week.

n To reach Gail Davis, e-mail hilltopranch97@charter.net or call 265-1947.