plans

today i had a plan. we would get up, get dressed, tidy the house and head to a friend's house. let's just say it didn't quite go down like that! i had misunderstood when i was to arrive, and ended up leaving the house AN HOUR early. what were we going to do for an HOUR? we were dressed like bums, so we couldn't go inside anywhere, and frankly, the thought of unloading, and reloading everyone was just more than i could take. so i thought for a second...hmmm...i quickly made the decision to take a quick drive to my grandad bauer's old neighborhood. my sister and i sold his house a few years ago, and i hadn't been there in a while. let me interject here that i have some amazing memories of the time i spent as a child at his house. every year my parents would travel overseas for two weeks...and we spent that time with my maternal grandparents, the bauer's. shannon and i would eat raviolis (a rare treat that grandad would, of course, divide equally as we waited anxiously), ride our go-cart (yes this was in THOSE days, before helmets and safety reports), eat pawpaw surprise ice cream (i later learned was a can of fruit cocktail blended in ice milk), and spend hours in his garden picking vegetables and climbing all his fruit trees. we would also help our grandmother can or freeze, or play dress up in her slips and heels, or make tents from sheets on the covered back porch....in short it was heaven on earth for two little girls. we also spent a lot of times at the neighbors, the kitchens'. no, they didn't have little kids our age, but they had a swing, and horses, and would let us ride along on the lawn tractor. they were our grandparents, too. i can even still remember the way their house smelled...and i loved it! so today just as we approached the turn, imagine my surprise when i saw a woman in mrs. kitchens' side yard. i thought, surely not...she must be in her late 80's by now...and that lady is pushing a wheel barrel!! but after circling grandad's i took a second look and decided to pull over. i got out, and took off my glasses...not sure she would know me since we hadn't seen each other in several years. i smiled and said, "mrs. kitchens, i'm not sure if you remember me, my name is....." and that was all i got out before she said, "SOMER!" and grabbed me for a big bear hug! in just a second, i was ten years old again...overwhelmed with that wonderful aroma, blanketed with memories and wrapped in this sweet woman's arms!! it took me a few moments but i asked if she would like to see the babies, to which she replied a resounding, "YES!" and before i knew it....we were taking a walk to see the horses, check out the garden, talk about the neighbors, recall stories of fun times at my grandparents, and of course...

swing on that swing. it was surreal. it was wonderful. it was just what i needed. a loving embrace, a moment to remember and reflect, a detour from MY plans, a chance to "be still, and know that HE is God." (psalms 46:10)