It’s been a quick two weeks, but I am back in Florida and preparing to return to work and to day to day life. What a wonderful time we had. I spent a lot of time playing with my 8-month old grandson, talking with and holding onto my daughter, and helping my mother around her house. I also spent a lot of time just looking at the beauty around me. The trees, the hills, the soft grass, the birds and butterflies. My mom (Babcia) has a bird feeder on her front porch and all the birds come to visit her each day. Birds of every size and color flock to her porch to feed, and they are all so graceful and pretty to see. The mimosa tree in the front driveway is in full bloom and is a landing spot for dozens of gorgeous tiger swallowtail butterflies, with their bold yellow and black wings. It is truly a sight to behold and is like a magical tree full of these lovely creatures. Huge bumblebees flit from flower to flower in the trees and in the yard, and on one evening walk with my dog, we looked up and were greeted by a young fawn standing just feet away from us and staring us in the eyes. Babcia’s yard is a peaceful place full of nature and beauty.

We did some shopping, some cooking, some updating and cleaning. One afternoon we stopped by a roadside farmer’s market and picked up some of the best looking green beans I’ve seen in a while, and took them home to make them part of a delicious dinner. The fresh green beans in Florida are puny and dark green; these beans were a light shade of green and huge, very tasty. Of course there was lots of playing to be done with Brodee. He is 8 months old now and loves to blow raspberries at everyone. He smiles constantly. With a little tickle or a funny face or noise, he erupts into tiny baby laughter that just warms my heart. He is a very content child, which is a testament to his wonderful parents. I laughed with him, sang to him, swung with him in the swings in my brother’s front yard, watched him pet my dog with wonder, fed and changed him, and savored every moment with this little person who looks like his mama when she was my own baby. There is nothing like being a grandparent. It’s like I get to go back in time and see my little baby one more time, and it is precious.

The drive back to Florida is long and tiring. I always leave in the morning and as quickly as possible so as not to draw out the goodbyes, in an effort to lessen the pain of leaving. Yet I always find myself crying about two hours into the drive when I’ve left and the reality hits me that I am leaving home once again. It never gets easier. Of the dozens and dozens of times I’ve made this trip now, you’d think it would get better but it doesn’t. I always cry at around the same mile marker as I am driving away from the hills of West Virginia and back into my current life. I try to soak up the views of these majestic mountains and bury them some place deep inside, to look back on when I miss them terribly. As I drive and take it all in, a tear starts to fall from my eye… followed by another, and another. It never fails. I cry because I will miss the beauty that West Virginia holds, yes. Even more, I will miss the people that love me unconditionally, miss me, and see me for who I am. I always leave my heart around the state line, and I pass through that first tunnel that takes me through the mountain and out of West Virginia, I shed a part of myself and leave it behind until the next time I pass through and pick it up again. It is a passage from one world into another and it is never traveled without regret.

Every single person I pass on the road where my mom lives waves as they drive by, whether I know who they are or not. Some even stop to chat for a moment just because they know who my mom is, even though they may not know me at all. They all ask how she is doing and say to tell her ‘hello’ from them. Friends and family drop in for a visit. I always run into an old friend or two while out and about town. There is a comfort in knowing people and being known. It’s as if each person matters here, each holds a place. This is vastly different from living in a bigger city where you can be surrounded by people all day long and never even speak to one of them, much less wave or say hi. Huntington, and West Virginians as a whole, enjoy a real sense of community.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Jacksonville too. I like that I can get in my car and be at the beach in 15 minutes. I like it that the sun shines most days of the year. I like it that there are shops and restaurants galore within minutes of my condo and that I can find quirky things and foods any day of the week. I like my job and my coworkers, some of whom have become good friends over the years I’ve spent here. I like the energy and all that a bigger city has to offer. There is a part of my heart though, that will always be left in those hills… at that state line… until I return. Jacksonville is great, but it will never be home. Home is where mama is. Home is where Brodee and Lindy and Jordan are. Home is where my brother and his family are. Home is where old friends stop by from time to time. Home is where I am from, and where I long to be when I feel lost and need to reset and recharge. Home is West Virginia.

So another work week looms and I return to my daily life. I am blessed to have a place to go to when I need to remember who I am and where I come from. I am beyond blessed to have the family and friends that I have, and to know that they will be there waiting for my return. Until next time West Virginia… thank you for keeping my heart full.