No Place Like Home

I went to a small family reunion last weekend. We had a wonderful time visiting and eating lots of great food. Seeing Aunts and cousins that we hadn't seen in awhile, brought back memories of much larger reunions. Now relatives are scattered to the four corners of the earth and that makes it difficult to even get a small group together.

There were only six of us that made the trip to Geneva, Neb. A small town with some really awesome residents. Especially a dear aunt and her family. Of the six that visited, three were Texas residents, one from Colorado, one from Mississippi and one from Louisiana. The ones that couldn't make it, were sorely missed. We use to have several gatherings a year, and there would be dozens of people with lots of chatter and laughter. With everyone spread around the country, now we set dates and hope a few will manage to be there. And the meetings are always filled with lots of food, laughter, photos and stories galore.

But it made me wishful for days gone by. When I was a kid when the fourth of July came, our house would be brimming with people. Relatives from everyone converged on our house. Kids slept on pallets throughout the house or occasionally camped outside in makeshift tents. It was great fun. Now everyone would get a hotel instead. But in doing that, you'd miss the closeness we experienced packed together. We had great cook outs with big spreads of food. Late in the day, the ice cream freezers would be filled with a rich sugary concoction. A few of the children would be chosen to sit on top of them when the rich cream began to thicken in order to keep the freezer in place as the handle was cranked. To be chosen was considered a great honor. You'd sit there in anticipation of the sweet treat you'd eventually indulge in. Peach, strawberry or vanilla ice cream and if you were lucky, you could have all three.

After dessert, the adults would bring out the dominoes, while we kids entertained ourselves with playing tag, hide and seek, kick the can or playing cards. As it became dusk, we'd chase lightning bugs around the yard. Later, we'd take blankets onto the lawn and watch the stars magically appear in the giant, black sky. Then one by one kids would disappear, and go find a place to sleep for the evening. I couldn't understand how anyone could sleep when there were still people awake.

I'd get a cup of coffee, actually the cup held only a fourth coffee--the rest was cream. I'd watch the adults play dominoes. This game was taken very seriously so children were not allowed to play, but on a rare occasion my mom or dad would let me place their chose domino on the table. I felt grown up sipping my warm, coffee flavored cream amidst the adults. I loved listening to them as they poked fun at each other, and related fascinating stories of their childhood. It made me feel connected and safe.

Christmas Eve was another time relatives converged on our house, but not as many. All the folks from Arkansas only came on the fourth, but it was still a full house. We'd eat lots of rich food and fantastic desserts. Nothing was store bought back then. At some point the furniture would be moved against the walls. Music would begin one of my aunt and uncles would start to dance. Everyone loved to watch them, they had really smooth and elegant moves. It was our small version of "Dancing With The Stars."

Then one by one another couple would join them. It was inevitable that my mom would do her black bottom dance. She loved to dance and she would laugh the most joyful laugh while dancing. Later she would always be asked to do it again and then everyone would insist she do the Charleston. This she was really good at. She'd start slow then rev it up. All the while laughing like a young girl. No one could out dance her.

If I close my eyes, I can still hear the laughter of everyone as it filled the entire house, and smell the mixed aromas of pecan pie and my aunt's 'out of this world,' peanut butter cake. It was a joyous time. We not only celebrated Christmas, but also the joy of being together as a family.

I was raised with the majority of my relatives living within a thirty mile radius of me. Some lived across the pasture even. I saw my grandmothers, cousins, aunts and uncles on a regular basis. It gave me a since of belonging. I left that safe cocoon because I thought I needed to see what was outside that small, safe world.

I've traveled a lot and seen beautiful places and met wonderful people, but nothing ever felt like that place where everyone knew my name, my parents, my siblings, my entire family and where they lived. It's kinda like in the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy went in search for something better, but discovered through a series of events that there is no place like home.