Home again

We live in Wheaton, Il, but also have a new, beautiful home on Lake Geneva, WI. We were up there this weekend when I started this project, but now we are home again. Although I'm home which ever house I am currently at. We took my parents up to the lake this weekend, which is always a project since they are both in their mid-eighties, and both have different problems getting around. When we built the home we made a special handicapped bathroom on the main floor for them, and a bedroom what is filled with many of my Mother's antiques.

You see, I was an only child, and was raised in Collinsville, Il. So for years we would travel downstate to go home again, but over a year and a half ago, my Father fell and broke his back. After two surgeries, it became obivious that they could no longer live over 5 hours away, thus we moved them up here near us. My husband graciously pay to get them into a very nice independent living place up here. It took a year to sell the home they had built themselves. So now my childhood home is no longer ours.

All this happened the same year we had already torn down our old lake house, and had started building our new one. Thus why I first stated that my life has always seem to whirl by faster than I can comprehend it all at the time I'm living it. But this weekend, we were all "home again" at the lake. Many of my Mother's favorite furniture was able to be used to beautifully fill my new empty rooms. Thus, I think when they come to visit us, they are also visiting a part of their old home. My son Rob and his girlfriend Annie came up for the weekend too. We all talked via skype to Roxi and Anni this morning. For them it was evening of course, but for a few minutes it was as if we were all together in time and space at our new home.

Tomorrow is Anni's 3rd birthday, and she was so excited as we all sang to her. I will blog more later about her pink princess birthday party, or you can read the link to Roxi's blog, who is by far a better writer than I. As we sang across the globe, I couldn't help but think how lucky we are to live in a time with such modern devices that can put us all in the same place for at least a few minutes. I know my Mother was amazed too, as she turned to Daddy and said ,"Can you believe we can just talk into the computer and hear them half way around the world?" Believe me after 4 flights and about 36 hours it took me to get there in June, it was amazing to me too. How did the families that said good-by to a loved one as they felt by a ship to make the same trip ever survive? I could never deal without seeing and hearing from them.

The only other family member missing this weekend was Katy, our youngest. Next weekend we will see her perform at the Arch Rival game between Illinois and Missouri. You see, after years of driving her to dance classes, and hours of practice, her talent led her to being an Illinette at U of I. However, Katy is so much more than just an Illinette! She is a beautiful, intelligent, kind, independent young woman! More about her gifts later. However, because of the game, we will be back in my hometown again, only now the house has been sold, and someone else will be living in it, and that will seem very strange.

After driving 5 hours, the car just seems to go up the hill to Grandma's house, but instead, it is now only a memory of "home". I will stop to visit my God Mother, Aunt Irene, because I don't know when I'll see her again otherwise. Just two years ago, we stayed with my parents, and even took them to Katy's first game ever to perform as a freshman. As I look at those pictures, time again whirls by.

It is late, and I'm sure I'm wandering, but I guess I realize that when I am home again, it is where ever my family and heart is. The structure is not important is it? Like Dorothy, we are home already, when we are with those we love.