MY CHILDHOOD HOME

I AM COMPLETELY SURE I HAVE BLOGGED SOMEWHERE

IN ALL THE OLD ONES ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD HOME.

HOWEVER, I CAN'T SEE THIS PHOTO WITHOUT

REMEMBERING WHAT A GREAT LIFE I HAD IN IT.

SO BEAR WITH ME AS I SHARE FOR THE NEWCOMERS

AND FOR MY OWN SENSE OF PEACE.

THIS HOUSE, HAND-MADE BY MY DADDY AND A BUILDER.

BACK IN THE 1940'S WAY BEFORE I WAS THOUGHT OF

OR BEFORE DURSETTE WAS A PROPER STREET.

BY THE TIME I CAME, RANDOLPH'S WAS IN THE FRONT,

CHOUEST DRUG STORE HAD ITS SODA FOUNTAINS,

DUFRENE'S BAKERY WAS STREETS AWAY AND

PLAISANCE SNOWBALLS WAS TO THE SOUTH,

ALSO WALKING DISTANCE.

IT WAS A PERFECT PLACE TO GROW UP.

I LOVED OUR HOME, IT WAS NOT ALWAYS MAINTAINED.

BY THE TIME I CAME ALONG THE 

UPSTAIRS WAS OUR DOMAIN, 

MOMMA AND DADDY RARELY WENT UPSTAIRS

AND MY MOM, SHE DIDN'T LIKE HOUSEWORK

SO IT ALL CAME TO US.

I HAVE SO MANY MEMORIES OF DIGGING IN ALL THE

EXTRA ROOMS UPSTAIRS, MANY HELD THINGS

MY OLDER SIBLINGS LEFT STORED THERE.

IT IS WHERE I FOUND MY FIRST PLAYBOY MAGAZINE 

MY BROTHERS HAD LEFT THERE.

OLD CLOTHING BY THE MOUNTAINS TO TRY ON

AND SOMETIMES IT ACTUALLY FIT AND CAME BACK IN STYLE.

HENCE, THE TWO VELVET SHIRTS CELENA AND I FOUGHT OVER

BECAUSE PETER HAD LEFT THEM THERE.

MY DAD, HAVING BEEN A PHOTOGRAPHER HAD

SO MANY PHOTOS OF PEOPLE WE NEVER  KNEW

AND EVERY GOLDEN MEADOW YEAR BOOK HE

EVER PUT TOGETHER WAS STORED IN AN 

OLD CEDAR HOPE CHEST THAT BELONGED TO VERONICA.

THERE WERE THE TIMES WHEN THE OLDER SIBLINGS 

VISITED WITH THEIR SPOUSES AND CHILDREN,

SOME LEFT AND SOME STAYED FOR LONG PERIODS.

THESE LONG STAYS WERE THE ONES WHEN I 

HAD BEST FRIENDS IN MY LITTLE NIECES AND

GOT TO KNOW ROSIE'S LOVE, PAT BETTER THAN EVER.

THE HOUSE WAS A HOME, NOT BECAUSE OF ALL THE FUN

WE HAD THERE BUT MORE BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE 

WHO ALSO CALLED IT HOME.

MY DAD WAS 45 WHEN I WAS BORN, MOM WAS 43.

THEY WERE IN THEIR 50'S BY THE TIME I HIT MIDDLE SCHOOL.

I WAS A TEASED CHILD, WOULD BE CALLED BULLYING 

IN TODAY'S WORLD. 

I HANDLED IT BY LAUGHING WITH THEM.

ONCE THEY KNEW I WOULD NOT BE BOTHERED, 

THEY MOVED ON.

YET, I WAS ALWAYS BOTHERED.

I REMEMBER GETTING OFF THE BUS LAUGHING 

BECAUSE SOMEONE HAD HIT A LOLLIPOP INTO MY CURLY HAIR

NUMEROUS TIMES

(I KNOW HIS NAME BUT WE ARE GROWN NOW...)

AND WALKING IN OUR RED KITCHEN CRYING.

I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED IT WAS THIS MOMENT 

THAT MY SELF CONFIDENCE WAS RESTORED.

MY DADDY DIDN'T TAKE ME INTO HIS ARMS,

HE CONTINUED TO MAKE HIS TRAWL NET.

AS HE CROCHETED HE SAW MY TEARS AND HE MADE

ONE STATEMENT THAT HAS CARRIED ME THROUGH

MANY HARD TIMES.

"LIL, IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT THE WORLD DOES

TO YOU, WHEN YOU COME THROUGH THAT DOOR, YOU ARE LOVED."

THAT WAS IT.... ALL HE SAID

UNTIL HE THEN SAID,

" YOU WANT SOMETHING TO EAT?"

TO THIS DAY, WHEN I THINK OF HOW I GREW UP TO BE

WHO I AM TODAY,

I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR THE DADDY I HAD 

AND THE COURAGE HE GAVE ME.