Everyone has heard the phrase. It goes along with other cliche' phrases like, "You don't know what you've got till its gone." I know what I have. And every time I go home to Arkansas, I am reminded. Yesterday we went to my parent's house for my birthday lunch. Both sets of grandparents and my brother and his girlfriend came. Dad grilled chicken and mom finished the spread with roasted veggies and smashed potatoes. So yummy! I must have eaten ten roasted Brussels sprouts before lunch began. If you think you don't like Brussels sprouts, you should definitely try them again.(Roasted or blanched and then sauteed with a little olive oil, garlic, dried cranberries, and toasted pecans are my two favorite variations.) I love family meals. They always seem to make the food taste even better. My sweet mom even attempted to make my favorite birthday cake(Coconut) with Stevia to make it low calorie. Just so you know, never do this! Some things are worth the calories. We all got a good laugh when I blew out my candles and also blew some of the icing off the cake. Surprisingly, it was still tasty.
After lunch I opened gifts and we all sat around in our food comas and chatted. Mom showed off her latest additions to the "grandchildren's book collection." We watched part of "The Jerk" and laughed. It is amazing how fast the time flies. It seemed like no time before we were in the car on our way home. I felt like an idiot as tears filled my eyes behind my aviators. I text mom and thanked her again for everything and told her I was sad to be going back to OK already. She reminded me that I have an awesome husband and everything will be fine. You would think that the "missing home" thing would be gone after 9 months. Especially since I am only and hour and a half away. It is far from gone. Not that I would want to give up what I have, but it is still so hard.
When we got home we unpacked the car and chilled on the couch watching a movie. My mom's surprise gift to me was custom-made pillows for the couches in the living room. As I laid on the couch I noticed something... The pillows smelled like my parent's house. I love that smell. I couldn't help but get sad again. I told my mom and she said, "I hope that smell is a good thing." I told her it was because they smelled like home. There is something about my mom. She always says the right thing. The next time I checked my phone she had sent me a text that said, "We love you so much and are so proud of you. And no matter where you go, we will come to you." My eyes filled with tears just typing it.
Maybe absence really does make the heart grow fonder even though, in this case, I didn't think it was possible. There have been times when I took my amazing family for granted. That will never happen again as long as I live. Happy tears.
I'm off to continue my house-cleaning mission. Happy Sunday. :)
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