This past weekend we made a pilgrimage to our beloved Louisville. So many (so many!) of our friends there have moved, both seminary and not. My very wonderful friend, Kara, and her family (including Holt's very wonderful friend, Caleb) is moving to Corpus Christi as soon as their house sells, so we went mainly to enjoy being with them.
The best day of the week used to be Fridays. Holt and Caleb took a Little Gym class together and afterwards we would pack up and head to lunch either at Burger King (their favorite) or McAllister's (our favorite). I looked forward to it all week long. It's no coincidence that as soon as I got in town (and dropped off Birch for his work/golf thing), I headed to McAllister's to meet her.
Holt and Caleb hadn't seen each other in almost two years. Last time we were there, Caleb had strep, and our family has a genetic strep magnet and we stayed away. As soon as Holt walked in the door that evening (Caleb had been in school during lunch), he said, "So, do you want to go to the basement or up to your room?". And two years were gone in an instant for two first grade boys.
The second day we were there they had a family celebration for their older son's birthday. I got to spend some time with Kara's extended family, who've been known to so graciously take us in and share their Thanksgiving in years past.
It was so hard to leave there Saturday night, knowing we have no idea when we'll see them again. I will miss lounging with Kara on her most comfortable couch, underneath the world's snuggliest woolly blanket doing not much of anything. I should consider it a blessing that we have friends scattered all over the U.S., but that's a little difficult to be thankful for at the moment.
We also took some time to go to the seminary pool. We don't often have access to an indoor heated pool. Did we really appreciate that awesome privilege when we lived there? Holt spent most of his time in the baby pool, but we did finally manage to coax him into the water with Jules and his daddy (and even Mouse for a while). Mouse loves the little pool... just one big warm bathtub to her, complete with toys.
We went to our old church on Sunday morning, and while it was great to hug the necks of so many old friends, I found myself looking around for faces I knew wouldn't be there and it somehow wasn't the same. Time has failed to stand still there in my absence. How dare they?
It's always bittersweet returning to a place we've once lived. As we drove past our old house, I kept picturing us there... Carolina in her exersaucer with her big cloth diaper butt, Holt on his scooter and playing with the boys next door, Juliana in her school uniform and dancing in the living room with her friends. I turned to look at the door. I kept expecting to see them tumble out, ghosts of who they used to be. I see the kids there as they were and visibly feel time sweep by us all.
Living there was one of the greatest seasons in our life. I will remember it that way always.
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