Going Back and Moving Forward

My beautiful Aunt Doris 

I recently spent six days in the Atlanta area.  Late July is not necessarily a time period I would recommend for a visit to the sunny (read hot and humid) south, but as I was able to spend that time with family and dear friends, it was a very pleasant break.  Having lived in that area from 1978-1998, I was familiar with the area, but not with the million changes in traffic patterns, roads, and development.  Fortunately, family and friends had not changed and were as comfortable as ever.

It is never easy for me to go back to a place and see change (remember, I was a history teacher and love the past) but what a treat it was to sit with my Aunt Doris, reminisce, and catch up on family.  At 88, she is a beautiful, remarkable woman and such fun to be with as you can see in the picture.  She and I had a delightful few days, shopping, chatting, enjoying a delicious lunch and visit with my best friend and her husband.  Even a traffic tie-up on I-285 didn't dampen her spirits.

One evening, we sat and looked at family pictures from over sixty years ago that I had on my iPad.  Once through wasn't enough, so we did it twice, remembering those now watching over us from heaven and the good times of the past.

Going back certainly has its plusses, but so does moving ahead.  When my young, (ten and seven year old) cousins returned from their short family vacation, they took me in hand and introduced me to "Face Time" on my iPad.  After I returned to Colorado, young Meghan contacted me on Face Time to help her solve a little knitting dilemma.  What fun to see her, talk to her, and help her with her knitting!  Then last night she and sister Maddy checked in on me while my grandchildren were visiting.  Within seconds these four cousins, who had never met, were chatting and Maddy and Ruby showing each other their favorite monkeys while Austin kept declaring "I love you, cousins!"  Me too!

Maddy and Meghan with their knitting