Home

I feel like we traveled back in time this weekend as we spent time at "home" with my family. We took a short drive out to the tiny little farm town I grew up in and the memories hit me like a ton of bricks. Some are sweet and wonderful and others still hurt with a pain I didn't know was possible. Time doesn't heal all wounds. Time helps the scars fade, but the wound is still there, under the surface, waiting to get bumped just the wrong way. And it hurts all over again. Not quite as much, but the sting is still there.

The passage of time was so evident to me as we drove past the house I grew up in and saw how tall the trees are that I helped plant over 15 years ago. Our house was right next to the church where my dad was pastor, so the house and church seem one in the same in my mind. Some things never seem to change and I find comfort in that. The house looks much the same- the long driveway , flowers out front and the same old shed out back. New things jump out to me immediately- a new sign, newly painted shutters and trees that have been removed. The "new" addition that we helped build while serving there is starting to show it's age 20 years later.

The weekend was filled with good times and good memories. We took Haven to our family camp for the first time and watched her run around on the beach with her cousins. She sat in chairs where her grandpa once sat and read bedtime stories on the bed where I passed many a lazy summer afternoon reading away. S'mores and mountain pies were consumed,balls were thrown, kites flown and hills rolled down (don't ask!). It was everything I remember it being, but different as I enjoyed it from a new perspective.

We rounded out our weekend with a birthday dinner, a baptism and a family picnic. It really was a great trip filled with family and friends. The kind that makes you feel a bit let down when you get home. Sad that it's over and looking ahead to the next trip. It might be true that you really can't go home again, but at least for this weekend I feel like I did. And I can't wait to go again.