Last week, my husband and I drove our boys to Ravenna, Ohio to spend one last weekend in his mother’s house, the home where he grew up. This is the first chance I’ve gotten any real time on the computer but this is what I wrote while I was there…

I am sitting on my mother-in-law’s back porch swing for the last time. We have spent the day packing up a moving truck with items to take back to Maryland and we leave in the morning. The sky is clear and stars are very bright tonight and I can hear the train whistle blowing. Though I didn’t grow up in this house, I have heard enough stories that it makes me sad this is our last stay here. I wish my boys were just a bit older so they could have more memories of family gatherings here.

I’ve watched my husband’s face today and the myriad of emotions that have crossed there. I know this is difficult for him as I am sure it is for all of his siblings. I moved too many times as a kid to have any great attachment or memories to one house. So, while I can’t really relate, I can sympathize. But, I think it helped that we spent the day with his sister and niece yesterday, going through all the rooms and the shop. They did a lot of laughing together. It was a weekend full of love.

At one point, Jim was downstairs in the basement with our boys and I could hear him talking to them about him and his brothers spending time down there and all the silly things they did together. I listened to Jim and Regina talk about some corning ware they found and how it reminded them both of Friday night pizza. Again, it was a weekend full of love; love all those siblings have for each other.

Jim told me that his father said to him once, “I had always hoped you boys would take over the business and all live in the same neighborhood, watching all of your kids grow up together.”  I know there is a part of Jim that wishes that could have happened, too.  But, while they all moved on to other careers and many have moved out of state, it hasn’t kept them from being very close. I’m sure this would have made their father very happy.

In the living room of his childhood home, there are two pictures hanging on the wall. I never really noticed them before this weekend but, both pictures are of a path leading away to some unknown in the distance.  Earlier, as Jim and I were sitting in the living room with our boys, playing before bed, I pointed those pictures out to him. I told him, “Yes, your dad had a dream at one time that you would all live close together here in this little town. But, as I look at these pictures, I think they are kind of symbolic in that, I believe he came to realize that you are all living better lives than he ever imagined and that you couldn’t have done that here in Ravenna. I’m sure he is proud of all of you and the lives you lead and all you have all accomplished.”

No, our boys won’t really have many memories of Nonny’s house. But, we have already started making memories of family gatherings at Aunt Regina’s for them. We have celebrated many birthdays in the past couple of years and have another big celebration planned for this summer.  It doesn’t matter that they aren’t at 420 South Sycamore Street. Really, that’s just a house. It matters that they are with the wonderful family that grew up there.