Joining a community of bloggers who free write for 5-minutes on Friday linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker. To view other posts or include you own, click here.
I’m not sure 5 minutes can contain this whirling mind on the prompt visit. Our family always lived in another town. Away from grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. My childhood was filled with visits and the stories that were born of those times, the memories still kept, the laughs still shared.
Those were good visits and now that we still live in that other town, the one where no other family is, the visits continue but they have changed.
Me at Granny’s house
Granny with our daughter 1979
Visits of the past meant we would go to Granny’s, her house with one bath room, no air conditioning and no beds for all of us. I was usually lucky enough to get to sleep with Granny and I have no memory or concern of where the others slept. A roll-a-way bed was dragged out of a closet and I reckon that was where mama and daddy slept. The precious years they were together.
When we went to visit that’s all we did. From her house to an uncle’s house where there was room for my brother and I to explore and rope swing in a tree and chickens! We sat and listened to their generation visit. They shared stories and caught up on the time in between and aunt Iva would pull out her guitar and start to sing.
Our kids were here over the holidays. From their two cities we gathered here and kept busy going to the beach and nature trails and boating and we were out and about where the art of visiting is a little lost. Or at best, contained in shorter sound bites. Until the puzzle. Until the text came from the son, “do you have a puzzle?” Yes, yes!
So we gathered, all hands around 1500 pieces that had us promising never to get one this big again. The jokes and stories started to come and the real visit began.
Living In Graceland 
Even though I grew up with family close by (my elderly grandparents lived with us for awhile), I remember “visiting” as a child. Usually on Sundays, we’d visit relatives or they would come to our home. I was the youngest child there, and I vividly remember just listening to the older folks talk and reminisce. Your post reminded me of those memories – that and the puzzle. Our family has always enjoyed putting puzzles together. 🙂
I have such good memories of those times, Cindy. Storytelling at its best complete with the “that’s not how I remember it” and laughter. It seems our kids always want to go so the puzzles are a nice way to slow it down. We are blessed, all of us. Thanks for stopping by to “visit”. 🙂
Our family used to do the puzzles regularly…now the visits are fewer and further between as so many move to different places. Great to have those memories! peace to you – thanks for the other visit too!
Judi, my mind was such a jumble of good visits when thinking about this prompt. I am grateful. Loved the pic of you and your mom on the Segways. Looks like you’ve both had a good FL visit 🙂