SENTIMENTAL
JOURNEY HOME
June
2014
I
remember the time when the very idea of traveling would send me into ecstasies
of excitement. I was young
then and now as I approach my 92 birthday, it is another story.
Not
only has air travel become a nightmare, but just figuring out how to pack your
suitcase has become a national security issue. Consequently, I do not enjoy traveling any more.
I looked upon the
trip to Colorado with mixed feelings.
It was to be a family reunion, but over the event hung the gloom of the
recent passing of a dear family member, and another lay dying in the last
stages of cancer. I thought
of the many faces that would be missing around the table, and I knew that soon I
would be saying goodbye to my dear sister-in-law, Faye.
As my plane hove into
the dry crackling air over Reno, Nevada and I gazed down on the parched and
thirsty hills, I wondered if the Western regions of the country would ever
again be blessed with abundant rain and a heavy snow pack. The climate change seems to have left
us high and dry, while other states are inundated with floods.
Recovering from last years
devastating floods and fires, Colorado has been blessed this year with good
rains and heavy snows.
The grass on the hillsides lay like soft
velvet and bright new leaves on the aspens quivered in the sun. Everything was fresh and wonderfully
fragrant. My heart rejoiced
in the sights…the sounds….the aromas. . . . . .and my heart lifted.
The lights of the
Woodland Inn were welcoming to this weary traveler. This is the place where the family gathers, and to me
a home away from home. My room
at the Inn is familiar as my own.
The
view out the window…..Pikes Peak still reigns… and awes.
I
take a deep breath and the tense muscles begin to relax.
I
am home.
The next
few days will be full, and I wonder if my stamina will be equal to the tasks
ahead. I silently send up my
supplications.
The
reunion is scheduled for June 7, and will be at Cinzetti’s—an Italian cafeteria
-style place of grand proportions.
It is located near Brighton, northeast of Denver a few miles. This is a two –hour plus drive from Woodland Park. In the course of the 5 days of my
sojourn I would make this drive 4 times. Susan drives a little Priius so gas was not a big issue. Nevertheless, traffic can
be a big problem getting through downtown Denver.
Faye had been holding up remarkably well and had attended Ilona’s
funeral service a week earlier, but she became dangerously ill on the night of
he 6th, and Dale had to call hospice for assistance. We were afraid he would miss the
reunion, but they were able to stabilize Faye, and Dale showed up at the last
minute. He looked very
stressed and exhausted but seemed to relax and calm himself,
as
he mingled with the crowd, and he sat and ate a plate of food
It is
always good to be among people who know each other, who have the same memories,
laugh at the same jokes, and who remember that we all were once younger and
prettier. It was a wonderful
gathering, and I hugged people I had not seen for years, and time stopped for a
while.
Since my main
reason for making this trip was to see Faye,
I
was very distressed about her. The strain and exhaustion on my brother’s face
was showing and I was concerned.
My brother Jack shared my concern and we decided that we would make a
special drive to Dale’s house in Loveland the next day so that I could see her.
I knew this would be
our last farewell.
It would be a wonderful thing if the mind had a ‘delete’ button to erase
the unwanted images that are imprinted there. The shock of seeing my lovely sister-in-law in the
grip of that terrible disease was profound. But amazingly, as we held each other, and I looked
into that beautiful ravaged face, her eyes were clear as a mountain lake, and
out of them I could see, shining out,
the beauty of her spirit, and I was comforted.
Written
with love, Betty L. Owen June 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment