All In A Country Mile

Way up here in the land of country-fed and country-bred folk, I have once again found comfort and joy. The land and the trees are a little behind in development and blooms, and the pollen is still sprinkling downward on everything it touches. But here, as at home, the rain has been pouring for days on end, which gives way to the thoughts of 40 days, 40 nights and Noah.

As I sat here this morning, trying to gather my thoughts and all the scrambled conversations from the last couple of days, housekeeping knocked on the door and asked could they come in to clean. We had already been to breakfast, and I had allotted this time to write my column, so there was really nowhere else for me to go. I of course said yes, and before long, and I know some of you will find this hard to believe, I found myself in a long conversation about children, grandchildren, and life.

She of course saw me clicking away on my laptop, and asked me was I having to work; I told her no, not really, and I explained what I was doing. She asked me what I wrote about and I told her pretty much anything and everything; about life, other folks’ lives, and mine. She also asked was this a business trip or pleasure and I begin to tell her about our family; who are all from ‘round these parts, about our great-grandbaby who I just met, and about today and the specialness of all that.

Today is my oldest child’s birthday; Joshua was the very first person to take up space in my heart and bury himself deep into my soul. He is still staying with his birth father in North Carolina, but he’s coming down for the day, it’s about a three hour drive, and having his birthday dinner with us and several of my husband’s family members.

He’ll also be home in May for a few weeks, then he is off on a new adventure. The last week of May he is moving to Vermont, the other side of the world, to live and work with some fellow MFA’ers, and to try and find his way again. It’s a long, long way for this Mama but I know it may be a necessary step to the future for him.

As our housekeeper Teresa and I continued to talk, I learned all about her 32 year old daughter with two children 12 and 15 years old who live with her as well. And as the conversation went on, I knew, as I really always know, everybody’s lives are filled with crooked roads and uneven paths. That life is really never how we planned it, but it’s most times, just exactly how it’s meant to be.  As different as Teresa and I might have seemed, in this moment and time we were exactly the same; just two mama’s trying to get our children grown.

Happy Birthday to my Joshua, your mama loves you always, bigger than the world.