Love You Bye-bye

Tomorrow morning, my friend, my sis and I will get in the car and head three hours north to my brother's house. It's rare that my brother, sister and I are all three together ... usually that only happens when there's a wedding or a funeral. But tomorrow, the three of us will spend the afternoon and evening together before I have to make my way back to Kansas City and get back into the routine of real life. I say real life because vacation isn't that, you know ... real life, I mean. Vacation is eating every meal in a restaurant, swimming in a hotel pool, not having to clean house or do laundry, not going to work, spending hours and hours visiting with family and friends, being far removed from one doctor or another probing my body or my brain ... vacation is a break from real life, a time to step away from the cares and worries of the daily grind and rest, have fun, and fall in love with my sweet family all over again.

Take today for example ... I had breakfast with my niece-in-law, and we talked for two hours ... lunch at Country Place with my niece and nephew-in-law, my great nephew and my sis, and we sat at the table for more than two hours ... dinner tonight with my nephew, niece-in-law and great niece, and we laughed and talked and ate like a million shrimp for two hours or so. Two hours seems to be the time to spend on a meal with my family, huh? I haven't always appreciated my time at home on the countless trips I've made back here, but as I said a few blogs ago, this trip is different. When my friend, my sis and I drove by my mom and dad's old house ... the house I grew up in ... my mind was instantly awash with memories from the past, from both when I was young and living in the house and of all the times I traveled home after I moved away. And yes, I got very choked up as I sat in the car looking at the house ... especially when my mind raced back to Mom sitting on the rock wall waving to me as I backed out of the driveway to return to Kansas City.

Though I've had glimpses all week as to the deep meaning behind this particular trip, it was as I was standing at the graves of my mom, dad and brother yesterday that I fully understood why I needed so desperately to make this journey home. This trip is about love ... nothing more, nothing less ... it's about love ... my love for my family and their love for me. I needed to come home because I needed to go to a place where I know I am loved ... a place where I've been loved since I first entered this world ... a place where I will be loved until the day I draw my last breath.

My friend who traveled with me this week isn't from the South, and I'm sure she's had more than a chuckle or two at some of the sayings and accents she's heard since we arrived last Friday. Though there are quite a few universal Southernisms I've heard every day like, "Hey, honey!" or "You want a glass of sweet tea with that, darlin'?" or "You have a nice day now, sweet pea," my family has one in particular that will forever be etched into my heart and nestled in my soul. Every time we end a phone call and often when we part, my Southern relatives say, "Love you bye-bye." They say it so quickly that it's almost like it's one word ... loveyoubye-bye. It's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard, not just because it's spoken with a heavy, heavy Southern accent, but because it reminds me once again of what's really important in life ... the love of family and friends ... "love you bye-bye" says love to me in a big huge way.

I cried crocodile tears tonight as I said goodbye to my nephew and his little family, and I'm sure I will cry again tomorrow when I bid farewell to my niece and nephew-in-law. And my heart already hurts from the very thought of saying goodbye to my sister and brother on Saturday morning. So, to all of my family ... thank you for this week ... you guys have no idea how much it meant to me to be with you, how much you touched my heart, how deeply thankful I am for your love. 

Love you bye-bye, sweet family ... love you bye-bye.