Heart and Home

"Your treasure is where your heart is."
~ Jesus

On two consecutive weekends we got to see our daughters.  First was Ali and her boyfriend for just a short drive-by visit as we went through Baltimore on our way home from Maine and Pennsylvania. It was brief but good to see her, hug her, and hear her voice in person.  We also got to see the house they just moved into.  Last weekend Jayme, Carina and Oliver came to see us in Florida and we had a great weekend that included Roller Derby, the beach, and lots of "Oliver time."

Years ago when Peg and I would be leaving her family after a visit, her mom and dad would stand on their front porch and watch us pull away. After her dad died, the ritual continued with her mom, except by then there were our two daughters and no porch. She would watch through a sliding glass door from her apartment.

Our side of that ritual was usually rather hurried trying to get packed up and on the road or catch a plane.  With children we were even more occupied by making sure we had all of their stuff and getting them ready for travel.

Through the years Peg and I have had our fair share of goodbyes and see-you-laters, especially as our daughters grew up, went to college, and now have their own lives. We've stood on porches and stoops, hugged on the streets of New York, DC, Atlanta, Austin and Baltimore, and done endless airport, busstop, and train station drop-offs and drive-bys.

It wasn't until I was in their shoes that I ever really stopped to think about what it was like for Peg's parents to turn back into their house and face the empty silence we left behind. Now I do. I also know the void is not really in the house, but in our hearts.

The house usually returns to normal in a few days, but hearts take a lot longer.