Where the heart is...

There are a handful of times in your life when the opportunity comes along to reminisce for more than a few minutes. And even fewer opportunities to actually put your hands on items from your past that not only jog your memory but stir up emotions making the memory so vivid you can recall the simplest of details. I had the opportunity this past weekend to do just that. And I was privileged to do so with a handful of people I love dearly. My family.

My Dad and Mom moved from the house they've lived in for 11 years to a new house about 20 minutes from where they were. They have spent the last two weeks moving little things over bit by bit, but this weekend it was time to move the big things, so several of us gathered together to get them moved. And not only did that give us the chance to be together, but it gave us a whole weekend to pull things out of boxes from the past and take stroll back in time.

One of things we came across were these Childcraft Encyclopedias. Oh my...I can still see them sitting on the book shelf above the desk in the home I grew up in. I think I scribbled in a few. Did anyone else have these?



Another treasure I came across was an old sewing book, but what was inside was even better...my sister's Christmas wish list from who even knows when. Not better because of the list or the paper or her writing. But because I could see that girl in my mind. Her mannerisms. Her face. Her hair. Her room. The whole package. My big sister. I think she wanted some clothes that year!


I also found my Grandpa's vacation journal from the trip he and my Memaw took to the Holy Land. As we read some of the entries, I could totally hear my Grandpa's voice, and that was priceless!

And then there were a million other little things that brought back so many memories. This is my sister-in-law arranging all the little 'pretties' that my Grandma used to have in her little cabinet that now is displayed in my Mom and Dad's new house.



And then...there are new things that melted my heart just as much. Here is my great niece, Anna Grace, crawling and waving for the first time. What a treasure!



Although my folks have a new place to live, wherever they reside is where my heart will always be.

Home. Familiarity. Treasure. Connection. Family. Food for the soul.