Sunday, May 2, 2010

Day 122 - Home again

“Close your eyes and tap your heels together three times. And think to yourself, there's no place like home.”
~The Wizard of Oz~

Today I'm grateful for:

successful road trips. We left safely, arrived safely and returned home having had a great deal of fun, safely.

cousins and catching up.

getting to play with a DSLR. Even it it was a Cannon. The photos I took were pretty bad, but I had awesome fun.

Jimmy. I am the eldest of the Connor grandchildren and he is the youngest. Yet I get the distinct impression I could learn a lot from him.


Tara. This woman took in 8 Connor refugees with no warning and unyielding grace and calm. She is a high caliber woman and her choice in mates speaks volumes on the caliber of Jim.

generation 2 cousins getting to know each other.

a calm reserve. There is something naturally calm within Jim. He is the only Connor I've seen with it. The rest of us are high strung. On a good day the rest of us walk on the edge of a knife. Yet he managed the chaos around him with humor and humility. I didn't know we Connor's possessed that trait and there is of course, the possibility he could have inherited it from his mother's side. I'll just choose to ignore that possibility and take great hope that someday, if I keep working, I'll find it in me.

Georgia. She shared with me and made me cry. I love her to bits and pieces and I'm counting the days till August.

epic fruit salad goodness.

my man. He was his usual self and made my family love him. I never had any doubt.

fun in the sun.

the perfect kite flying day.

kites.

the ocean. I never fail to hear God's voice in the sound of the ocean. Yesterday it said "I told you it'd be alright"

reconnecting. I reconnected with my Father's side of the family. They are my people and I am profoundly blessed.

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Dear Jim & Tara:

Thank you so much for allowing my family and I to invade your home. The grace and hospitality you showered on us has left feeling very humbled and grateful. You opened your beautiful home to virtual strangers with nothing in common but a connection to a last name. Through your hospitality we discovered we had, in fact, a great deal in common and after a single day, parted as family.

Watching you two this weekend was a joy to behold. Seeing your deep connection and respect was a privilege. Your home is beyond beautiful and warm and comfortable. Oh, and the cooking was Ok too. Specially the bacon.

I cannot foresee a time where I'll be able to return the favor. After all, I LOVE my city of Jacksonville but there is little here to "visit". BUT, should the opportunity arise, please feel free to call me in the dark of the morning, before the call of the alarm clock, and say "Hey Cuz! I'll be at your house in an hour. Can't wait to see you!". I promise, I will not be as gracious or even as hospitable as you, but I will brush the crumbs off the futon, feed you very well, and love you lots.

Thank you for letting me back into your lives. I promise it will not be another 25 years till we see each other again.

Love you lots,

Beth
For Tara. Sorry we annoyed you
And thank you for loving us anyway
Muwhaaaa! xoxo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC3dBQ35XaY

5 comments:

  1. Wow! That's awesome, Beth. Reconnecting with relatives can be such a blessing. You are blessed. :)

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  2. Glad you guys had fun and reconnected and traveled safely. Sounds like everything was Awesome :) Love the pic of June and her "board", Cool!

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  3. "I never fail to hear God's voice in the sound of the ocean." Well written my dear. We truly are Universe Sisters :)

    The ocean = awesome. And not awesome like really-delicious-burrito awesome. Awesome like awe-and-then-some awesome ;) Glad you had a good weekend!

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  4. I wish I could have been there to enjoy the sun, sand and family. Unfortunately, 2 more would have been the straw that broke Jim & Tara’s backs. I feel this was a time for the young to get together and enjoy their youth while they still can. I look forward to eventually getting to see you again before were both too old to enjoy it. Aunt Ann

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  5. Holy Crap! My Aunty Ann left me a comment! I think I just peed a little. Love you Aunty!! And not just cuz you refered to me as young :P

    Oh, and Ms. Becca the burrito referance was bloody brilliant :)

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