Pinterest

Follow Me on Pinterest

Saturday, July 17, 2010

A Heavenly Haven

I'm having a moment.  I was sitting in bed; piled high with all my books - intent on journaling, meditating, soul searching...and then I hear it.  The mourning dove's coo. And tears stream down my face.  Not sad tears.  I'd call them tears of gratitude. 

The "coo" is one of three sounds that instantly transport me back - to summers in Long Island.  I've mentioned the crunch of gravel and then there's the whistle of a train. 

I closed my eyes and crawled deeper into my nest of ironed, crisp, luxurious sheets.  The window is open and I hear someone walking the driveway.  It's probably the gardener.  He walks the grounds, babying the roses and dressing them for the day.  He snips a few for Mimi's breakfast tray and various vignettes around the house.

It dawns on me how summers there were not only vacation but a much needed respite (def.: "an interval of rest or relief").  As a young girl I knew I needed it.  Craved it.  But NOW I know....it was a relief.  Such a relief to flee from the tension I felt at home.  This is my perception - my memory.  Recently, one of my brothers and I reminisced and learned we had varying and VERY different perceptions of our childhood. 

Thankfully we stopped before the hurts hurt more but I should have said how dare you?  How dare you tell me what to think, or what to remember.   I know what I know:

Getting away from home was heaven.  Summer at Mimi's was a haven

8 comments:

Dianne said...

Well I have tears just reading what you wrote. How special these memories engraved in your heart are. Don't let anyone steal them or change them. They are a gift, a legacy from darling Mimi! They leave me wanting to hear more...please!

Emily said...

Your experience is all yours, YOUR TRUTH, and no one can ever take that away!

catie said...

your memories are yours to keep
and yours to share.
there's a book here...
summers with mimi. ♥

CC said...

Oh my gosh, Virginia! What a post! What wonderful memories. You hold on to them.....They are YOURS and they are TREASURED!!!

Pam said...

It's your life girlfriend...loving that you're sharing it with us!

sewmuchwhimsy said...

Memories are interesting aren't they? You can have 2 people in the same room and a day later they will disagree about what happened in that room!! I say hold on to the ones that still bring you joy...no matter who remembers differently! Plus, we love hearing your stories! xoxoGretchen

TeriGigi/Girl Meets Paris said...

Okay... a book... what a NOVEL idea????

This makes me want to look around my house and make sure times here are something my grandkids will treasure someday. And my house is so streamlined... oops! Well, I do have a treasure box in the living room for them to find goodies in!

Susan R said...

Thank you for visiting my blog and for the nice comment. I need to go back and check comments every now and again because I've missed so many of them.
Funny how we all remember the same things, but have such different perspectives about them. My happiest times come from spending time with my grandparents.