Going down to the creek was a big adventure.
I remember when my father would pick me up
to carry me through the swampy path
Down to the old boathouse.
When being allowed to go down to the dock by myself
Was a big thing.
The slapping of the water against the skiff,
Against my legs.
I remember walking the shores when the tide was down real low.
The mud sucking at the soles of my boots.
The shells and smells of low tide.
I remember when I would ride my bike
(with a banana seat and a basket)
Down to the house where my Grandma lived--
The house where you always went to the back door
And the windows were always open in summer
To catch a cool breeze off the creek.
And the funny little step between the kitchen and sitting room.
The one where the kids always sat
To talk to Grandma as she cooked.
I remember running through the cornfields. The stalks
so tall, I could hide from my cousins and sister searching for me.
Jumping over ditches and nearly falling in.
I remember the old woodpile, covered with blackberry bushes.
Picking the bright black berries and stuffing them in my mouth
Almost as many as I picked.
A few saved for Grandma's preserves.
I remember the smell of the gas when Grandma lit the burner
In the cool crisp spring and fall mornings
And hot tea with lots of sugar and milk
With graham crackers and peanut butter to dip in the tea
I remember a teenager,
Quiet and shy and not unhappy
But lost in a world of dreams
And nowhere else to put them
Walking up and down the porch
Of the closed-up house during the winter.
And the sound of the waves roughly lapping at the shore
And the sight of the bright sunlight dancing on top
And the smell of the salt barely in the brisk air.
A quiet place, where thoughts could think and feelings feel.
And now I'm grown and family gone
Far away from home
So many years I thought I could never bear
Not being down there.
But I have learned
Home is where the heart is.
God puts echoes of Heaven here on Earth
To remind us
This is not our home
To create a longing for our true home
Home is where the heart is.