This weekend was the 90th birthday of one of my dearest friends! I got to go to West Virginia and help get the suprise party together. I had a great weekend on the front porch of West Virginia.
Some of the things I loved about the trip were that it was like stepping back in time a bit where everyone takes life one day at a time and enjoys the company of their loved ones. I loved that everyone kissed and hugged goodbye every single time they left the house even if only for a quick errand. I loved that at night when you are sitting on the front porch swing (because that's what you do at night) that you can feel a breeze that will actually put chills on your skin even in the summer.
I only spent 2 days there and felt like I'd been there forever. I enjoyed getting up in the morning and grabbing a cup of coffee and heading to the back porch and sitting on the wicker furniture and visiting as I watched everyone in the house come out one by one in their pj's with messy hair like mine! It was as laid back of a weekend as you can get. Yes, we did stay up WAAAAAYYYYYY too late laughing and hanging out both nights but it was worth it!
This weekend really reminded me of growing up in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. My Ne-Ne and Paw-Paw had a front porch. A red swing. A fly swatter. A little front yard with a sidewalk down the middle to the street and a little flower bed by the tree. Many of my childhood days were spent playing in that yard and on the steps and the front porch of that house. I remember chasing fireflies in the front yard before video games and television programming that was on 24/7. All we needed to entertain us was a mason jar and a lid with holes in it. Hazel Street has long since become a memory of the past never to return to it's glory days. The house is still there but has been run down over the years. The memories I have, I'd rather keep safe by not going to see how badly things turned out for that home I loved to visit as a little girl.
So for me, this weekend was great! A chance to feel like a kid again. As I sat and watched my niece, Presley, playing barefoot on the porch with a fly-swatter...which is completely out of character for our generation of children...I thought.....sure...that's kinda gross.....a flyswatter......but I survived it and she will too. She may even be better off for it someday.
To all of those who made me feel so welcome in Smithers, West Virginia....thank you! I truly enjoyed being part of your life for a few days. I loved that I got to see where Jenny & Michael grew up and began their lives together!
Bless you all! Sharon
