Michigan...

Moving around as a child I never had a "hometown". My extended family's homes became my home base. As a child my mom, sister and I would make the summer pilgrimage to Michigan to visit with mom's family. I have always counted down the days until those visits! I loved going "home", particularly my Grandparents' house. I can "hear" the back porch door click shut, the distinct smell of the kitchen (gas stove), the warmth of the living room, and the best yet...the calm that washes over me when I see my grandpa's blue leather chair! These visits have become something more for me. Yes, I get the opportunity to spend precious time with my family, but for me it is a place to feel a real connection with my mom. I see her at the dinning room table laughing, eating watermelon while I play on the tire swing, reading a book in the living room. I see her pictures everywhere, hear her voice in my grandmother's and see her eyes when I look into my grandpa's face.

This visit has given me more strength. As my cousin and I watched our children "play" together, it takes me back to the days when we were the little ones and our mothers sat and loved us. We are now the parents who sit and love our children. It has been so special to be surrounded by people who love me. I will take all of their love and use it to get me through the next move. Once again I will move across the country away from them all, but soon my children will experience the summer pilgrimage to Michigan.