Thursday, November 17, 2011

You Can Go Home Again

Once there was a way…to get back home again.

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Last week I took a trip to my hometown and the town where I raised my kids.  It was a great girlfriend trip to a bed and breakfast, El Rocio,  and a workshop we did there getting in touch with our left brain, right brain.

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We did an exercise where we smelled an unknown scent and then illustrated that on paper…no scissors…we had to tear the paper.  There were about 12 of us – all from the Valley and apparently we all identified it as a citrus smell which indicated a  collective memory.

This is my memory. (I know – such a masterpiece!)

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An orange tree by my driveway. Parents out of town. Why not have a partaaaaaay? My yellow ford and someone jumping out of the car as someone else was backing out and a wrecked door that I somehow had to explain away. Obviously the truth never occurred to me so I said I was driving and didn't realize that the door was ajar. The big eye?  That was the neighbor who saw what happened and related the whole thing to the folks. Busted!   We got a little whiff of smell # 2 and this time we had to work with fabric and scissors.  At our lunch break we discussed the smell and the general consensus was it was an unpleasant smell – I didn't get the poop smell as some did but it did remind me of medicine from when I was little. Castoria – yuk.  Anyway it was fun and I was thrilled to learn that I had a brain. hahaha

The five of us who live up here in the hill country  had to go by our old houses.  I have two – the one where I grew up and the one where we lived raising our kids.  I didn't want to go by my childhood home – I thought it might be too run down and that would be depressing and my last few years there are lonely memories.  I did see my dad's old wrought iron shop or where it was – there's a What A Burger there now.  Barbara and Judy's house is also gone – the new Our Lady of Sorrows Church stands in its place.  Both of Patty's young and old houses looked fabulous, LaVerne's old neighborhood is being revitalized and I almost didn't go by my Wisteria house but the girls insisted and I'm glad they did.  The trees that we planted, oaks, mesquites and olive,  are enormous.

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The red tile roof was torn off and a new metal roof being installed –

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new windows going in and paint samples on the brick and oh my gosh the courtyard gone but my little churches I put there almost 30 years ago  were still on the wall all these years later.

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Hanging askew under roof debris but still there.   On an impulse I went up to the open door and this is what I saw.

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The doctor who bought our house for his parents still owned it and since then his dad had died and his mother moved into a nursing home so he was updating everything and moving in.  As I was getting all this info from the designer Judy came in and said "Can she have the churches?" What?!!! I would never have asked but the next thing I knew they were all loaded in the car and the lady give me a hug and said "God Bless".  And I cried.  I loved that house and the memories of our years there. I'm happy for it – happy it's being renewed. Happy the Amalguers had good times there and happy their son loves the house.

So my little churches that I left for Mrs. A are back with me – sort of my way of getting back home again. 

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." Robert Brault

xoxo Nancy

I'm joining Beverly at How Sweet The Sound  for Pink Saturday. Ya'll have a great Thanksgiving – fill up on memories!

18 comments:

  1. I would have been a blubbering crying fool receiving those churches. Your story touched my heart and of course tears are flowing. Anyway, as I wipe my eyes here, I'll just say thank you for this post. How wonderful.

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  2. What a sweet post..you made me cry!
    Happy Pink Saturday & Happy Thanksgiving..xo Tami

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  3. This is a beautiful post, music and all!
    I went back home to the town I grew up in. Looks sort of like the postcard up there! I went to my old homestead and knocked on the door and they let me come in! Although they had changed it quite a bit the memories flooded in! They guy said they had a ghost and they thought it was my brother, Bobby. (see Bobby's Story on my blog) I think it must be my dad. He is the one who would have trouble leaving that house. Anyway, there was no ghost there when I lived there!
    Thank you for telling me that you read Leigh's story. I will go in and write it properly one day, but I can't yet. Can't be objective.
    Now WHAT are you going to do with those darling churches?!

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  4. Way to go Judy! Speak up and get those churches back into the hands of someone who appreciates them.
    What memories for you.

    The scent and represent assignment sounds amazing. I enjoy that kind of thing.

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  5. Now I loved your partaaaay story.....bad neighbor! and I almost cried when I found out your churches got to go home with you. I loved this post!! HPS

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  6. P.S. I didn't read the other comments before I wrote mine but I see others cried too. It's a very touching and sweet story. xoxo

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  7. Thank you for an enjoyable post. I love any part of Hill Country.

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  8. Very touching!

    My PINK, have a great weekend!

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  9. Well, I can hardly believe it is Thanksgiving already. Seems like we just planted our flowers...I am so very thankful for many ways God has blessed me...I give HIM all the Glory!I ask for many blessings to come your way through this holiday season!
    Kandy

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  10. Oh Sweetie...
    Happy Pink Saturday. What a gorgeous share, and I so loved you being able to go back home and then to leave with your treasured churches. It was as if they were waiting all this time for you to come and pick them up. I love this most of all. So priceless. I love this memory for you.

    Have a glorious weekend. Many hugs and much love, Sherry

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  11. Sweet story! I really love Saturday because my Mom let me blog a little for Pink Saturday.

    Here's my pink share, have a nice weekend!

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  12. loved your story. so happy it turned out well. Happy Pink Saturday!

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  13. Nancy, that was such a touching post. First, I'm glad you discovered, while on your retreat, that you DO indeed have a brain! Girl, I could have told you that, but I'm sure it means more since you verified it for yourself through your projects there! Love the story about the car....:)

    I know what you mean about driving by former homes. Every time I am in the area where I grew up, I have to drive by the old house. So many memories still there...like when my dad added the front porch and when I pushed our neighbor kid off that porch the day he announced there was no Santa, and how the aluminum tree my dad brought home one year lasted inside our house just that year and every year after, mom placed it on the front porch. We all hated it...but it looked nice as the light thingy made it change colors..on our front porch.

    The really sad thing is the house we moved from 6 years ago. It's now in foreclosure....and the jerks have just let the yard go to pot. . . I can't imagine what the inside looks like. The little planter we worked so hard to add to the front is a mess and so is our patio fence...that my hubby worked so hard to install himself. That little house provided so many happy moments for our family and the family before us....it doesn't deserve this treatment. I can only pray someone like the "doctor" in your post will buy it and make it shine again!

    I am so happy your churches came home with you.....we took the concrete finial that sat on the wing wall of our old house to this house....and it sets out front here.

    Your quote just totally summed it all up!!!

    Nancy, you are such a great blogging buddy and I am so thankful that you are a part of my world. I liked you from the moment I first found you. Your posts have given me, and countless others, such joy and laughter and snippets of your creativity over the years. I hope we can meet in person one day....I know I LOVED hearing the sound of your voice!!!

    Have a great PSAT and a blessed TGiving!!!

    L, Dana

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  14. such a great post and a kind thing to do. i would have loved those little churches and treasured the memory. thank you for the story

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  15. I was going down a list of blogs I followed in 2010, looking for "Debbie" or "Debby" cuz she's been on my mind lately. I saw your website on my list of bookmarks of those I followed then, and stopped by, thinking maybe you're Debbie. I almost recall you by your photo but, I've slept a bit since then! Anyway, what a wonderful post, title and photos. It's remarkable and amazing that you stopped by and got to bring the churches home. Who knew?! I love your "heck yeah I'm a paper cowgirl" on the sidebar! Very cute, did you make it? Oooo, I see it's a button to a blog! Oh dear, more and more blogs! Anyway, it was great to stop by and then find out you're on Pink Saturday today. Well, happy Pink Saturday and Happy Happy Thanksgiving! Hope to see you 'round. Thanks, Jenn

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  16. So nostalgic! The whole post -- music included --put me in a place of wanting to appreciate my parents home while it is still there...So happy you got to revisit yours..... Beautiful circle of life.

    Thank-you for this! Happy Thanksgiving!

    love, Kelee Katillac

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  17. Beautiful~~

    Hope you have an amazing Thanksgiving sweet Nancy :))

    xo
    Kay

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  18. Hello Nancy, Thank you so much for visiting my PS post. we traveled on PS to Fl for Thanksgiving and my visits are belated.

    Your post was so heart warming and so was the story of your previous home. I'm glad it had a happy ending. I love the churches that are now back home with you.

    I once drove by my parents home on my way home and I cried the whole way. They are both gone and the sadness was just an overload of the memories of the happy home I grew up in. I think that cured me from ever going back again. Our dtr. visited the home she grew up in and was shocked to see our lovely colonial brick home painted pink. Sigh! I am so glad your visit was a positive one.

    I am thinking hard about what "HA" moment I will put in my journal. Since Beverly and I have been friends 41 years, she has given me plenty of her ideas (memories) of the crazy things I have done. I'm thinking!!!

    I think your left and right brain was in full gear. I loved what you did. How fun to do a workshop like this.

    Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving.
    Blessings,
    Jeanne

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