Last year when we
buried my grandmother in NY, that was my first return back to my birth place in
about 12 years. Once my grandmother moved, I did not return, really not too
sure why but it never happened. So we decided as a family we would return this
summer and explore. We were grateful that some dear family friends gave us a
place to lay our heads at night.
Considering the
journey I have been on the past several months since my surgery, I was a bit
apprehensive as time got closer. I wasn’t to sure what to expect, how I was
going to feel, the memories that would flood my mind but I knew we were supposed
to go.
On the other side
of the coin, I wanted my girl to see that everyone has a different story. That
everyone has a different beginning and all of those stories are written
especially for them. As she comes into her own, this is going to be important
for her.
The weather was fabulous. It was 80 degree but little humidity and a cool breeze. We were given tickets to a Yankee Game, and spent a day taking in the sites and sounds of the city. Hosanna had her first New York Hot Dog, saw a subway fight. We went to the Freedom Tower and soaked in all that happened on September 11th.
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| An incredible weight standing there knowing what was once there.
We spent time
playing at the beach in the Hamptons, (yes we can say we vacationed in the
Hamptons). We climbed the steps of the light house that I saw so many times
from the beach as a child and never went inside. All three of us made it the
192 steps up and down. The view was incredible.
We ate from
bakeries, and the old time ice cream shop that has been open since I was small.
We went to my cousins 5th grade graduation and got to spend some
time with them at the beach. We went to Sagamore Hill and saw the simpler way
that one of our presidents used to do life.
       
The treasured folks
who housed us, treated us like royalty continually asking how they could help
and make our life easier. Lots of laughs and stories were shared.
We spent a day
riding around the town showing Hosanna my elementary school and all the places
that I had lived. My girl soaked it up and asked questions.
As we rode around
memories flooded my heart. The bunny cage that was in the back yard of the
first house I ever lived in, oh and the green kitchen. The yellow and orange
twead couch along with the all wood kitchen set that we had in the apartment.
Or the fort that we have built in the back woods after the hurricane hit. Even
the year my mom was the cookie mom, and we used all the boxes in the living
room to build a fort. And who could forget the hamster/fish/bird cemetery
located just outside the porch door.
The last house
before we moved to FL. The play house that my dad built was still standing. I
could still see our dog running circles around the tree in the back and how the
back yard connected to longtime friends.
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| My first house |
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| The Apartments |
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| The Brown House before we moved |
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| Breakfast the last morning we were there with our dear friends |
Over the past
several months as I discover a new life with my altered body, I have dug deep
into the depth of my heart, healing far beyond the skin that anyone can see. I
am not too sure why this journey at this time has been chosen for me. Only a select
few have been privy to the digging which I have done. Healing has taken place,
life has changed forever. Grieving has happened, letting go has come. And, I can
tell a piece of that happened in Long Island as well. Some of those pesky lies,
labels that have been put over my head and have hung for years, some of which began in some of these places were left
there this summer. They may try to rear their ugly head on occasion, but I have
the tools to battle them. We had so much fun this summer. A grand vacation,
with lots more to explore in the North East…. So don’t worry, this yankee will
be back.
