Last week home

Be warned. This is a long one...

There are not words to describe the reality of this place. Every sense is strikingly more vibrant than anywhere else I've ever been. The colors are brighter, the sounds sharper, the scents more numerous yet distinct, the textures richer, and the tastes are just right. I find meaning in the saying the silence is deafening only here where the lack of manmade objects (cars, machinery, technology in general) allows for one to hear the rushing wind, the most subtle movement of a leaf on a branch, the buzzing of a hummingbird's wings, the chirping of several different birds at once, and so much more all creating a harmony that can claim none but one Composer. There is only one other place in this world that makes me feel more alive and that is when I am before the Life Giver Himself in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Otherwise, it is here that I am me in her truest sense with the good and the bad. My emotions find their most genuine expressions here where I don't bother to rein them in. My old habits challenge my attempts at virtue, and those who know me best yet love me most fiercely in spite of myself take residence here, in this place. This place which I shall forever call home.

As you can imagine, with my departure date looming over me, these days here, home, have been passing so sweetly yet so quickly. If you ever wonder what you will miss about a place, set a date upon which you can't return for awhile. You'll get a pretty good idea right quick. Fortunately, we worship a God who likes to pay us many favors, and this post is going to share some of the moments He organized for me this week so that I could partake in my favorite things of this place, my home.

First, on Sunday, He reminded me of the generosity of my parents who give up so much for my brother and me, namely time. Right after 8 am mass they packed both cars with empty boxes, tie downs, and a cooler and headed to College Station to spend nearly 3 hours packing up my stuff, cleaning up my bedroom, double then triple checking everything and then hitting the road for another 2 hour drive back home after stopping off for a quick lunch. All this just to return home and unpack it into our house where it now floods the living room because of everything I have accumulated in the past 2 years. That evening Mom and I took a piece of Mom's freshly baked dewberry pie to my Grandma down the road and chatted with her and my uncles before returning for supper.

Monday started off like they used to with me leaving before my parents (who had already been up cooking, eating, praying, and preparing for their day) to pray the rosary and attend mass with the same folks who always went when I was in high school. Man was it good to see all of those familiar holy faces sitting in their normal spots. Due to the wiener roast and s'mores planned for the evening, I ran an errand to Hoffer's where I enjoyed a long over due hug and warm exchange of words with my Great Aunt Ann. Returning home I hopped on the lawn mower and mowed perhaps the only yard I will mow all some, and with that attitude, I did so with an eager and joyful heart. There is no scent like that of freshly mowed grass which can only be competed with by freshly tilled dirt or freshly baked anything. (It's all about the fresh around here). My mowing was wonderfully interrupted by dinner (the word used for lunch around here) with my Grandma. Despite their excess of sandwich meats, she took the liberty of making me steak and potatoes because in her mind, I eat sandwiches everyday at college (and honestly she isn't that far off the mark). Dinner was followed by casual conversation until I decided it was time to finish the yard which I did just as Daddy was pulling in the driveway and boy did his smile make my work all the more worth it. I raked and put three loads of grass in the wheelbarrow delivering one to Uncle Pat's quail, one to the chickens, and one to the compost pile which will eventually aid the garden. Entering back into the house my nose was filled with Mamma's beer battered onion rings which went so tastily with the hotdogs we had that night. The Spurs' victory made the s'mores taste that much sweeter as we all settled down for a much earned night's sleep.

Tuesday (I hope the timeline isn't too boring...it's a great tool for my personal reflection)...Tuesday, my day started off the same with mass and adoration as per usual. Lunch consisted of pizza and a fresh apple pie at Grandma's followed by an hour of simple conversation with this beautiful woman that I love so much. Returning home, I began on the diy project Uncle Pat rigged up for me just like the good ole days. Mom made chuck steak, potatoes, and mixed vegetables for supper, and we ended on a sweet note with a strawberry/dewberry pie and cheesecake squares.

Wednesday again began the best way possible with the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Altar and adoration. I got to chat with one of my favorite daily mass goers who has adoration on Wednesdays which was very nice. After getting my daily workout in at my favorite softball field, I spent the morning at home painting the diy project that I had sketched the day before. Fending for myself for lunch, I quickly cooked up an acorn squash (white squash that looks more like a flower to me) as if it were a baked potato. I never thought that I would eat a squash so eagerly! I highly recommend this to any and every body! It is super easy - recipe found below. After eating, I started this blog post taking advantage of the fresh memories and then I made my way down to Grandma's to help her clean and talk for a bit. When Uncle Pat came home we drove out to the Back 40 on the mule to see the newborn calf. I even got to rub her cute little head before her mamma showed up. She's a beautiful tannish-red with a white face from the eyes down. Uncle Mike and I picked the garden (cucumbers, dewberries, strawberries) and put Lacey (English pointer bird dog) out to run. Finally, while Dad was at a ceremony for school, Mom and I kicked back to watch a Hallmark Movie (our favorite kind) to end the day.

the evolution of my diy project

Thursday greeted me with a reminder of the beauty and complexity of life on my way home from mass/adoration. I was almost at my house when I spied a doe and her newborn fawn standing in a nearby pasture. Being the only car for miles on the road, I simply stopped and watched for awhile. The fawn was as tiny as I've ever seen one with large white spots denoting its youth. With four shakey legs still adjusting to holding up a body, it pranced around clumsily yet lightly and with a joy we don't experience enough. Having its mamma by its side and a cloudy, breezy morning underway the fawn possessed no worries and had only a simple appreciation for the present moment. Arriving home, I finished up my diy project which is now (Saturday) sitting near the road for all to see. Noting my dad's dismay at not being able to get in our garden enough, I chopped around the green beans a bit. Perhaps its just the American notion of productivity but there is something unbelievably satisfying about cleaning weeds out of a garden and looking at the work accomplished. The rows look so much nicer and more defined when there are no weeds. After this, Grandma and I enjoyed cheese sandwiches for lunch and an hour of tv watching before I returned home to finalize my luggage which mom and I will revisit this afternoon to try to downsize yet one more time. In the evening, my Aunt Sharon came over to visit for awhile. Since her husband, my uncle, is the Grand Knight of the KC's in Moulton and she's head of the Moulton Chapter of the Catholic Daughters, she always has fun Catholic projects up her sleeve and this time it was to deliver a traveling icon of the Immaculate Conception to Sacred Heart Catholic Church here in Hallettsville so we loaded up and made the delivery before settling in the house to chat. We discussed a variety of subjects ranging from the Spurs to both of our European summer adventures (her and Uncle Boyce are taking a two week European cruise). Dad got home late from a band concert and we all ate a late supper and headed to bed.

Friday took us all over Lavaca's adjacent counties. First Dad and I traveled to Cuero to support Mom in receiving her Paraprofessional of the Year award which she undoubtedly deserves. I am surrounded by people with impeccable work ethic and a habit of selfless service. Upon returning back to the house (mom and dad took the rest of the day off) I ventured down to Grandma's to check out the new little chucker and pheasant chicks Uncle Pat got in and then headed to the Back Forty. There I soaked in the countryside and tried to freeze frame it all in my mind. I found a nice slab of sandrock to recline on and stretching out all my limbs, I just talked with God about all that was on my mind - my excitement, anxiety, feelings of missing this place. I reflected on who I was and how all that I come from has made me into me. I reluctantly left that favored place of mine and spent part of the afternoon picking the garden and chatting about old softball days with my uncle. Then, speaking of softball, the parents and I loaded up to watch the Weimar - Shiner softball Regional Finals game in San Marcos. It was fun being in that atmosphere again - more sweet than bitter but I did feel a tinge of nostalgia. Most of all though, I realized how critical I can be of the game and had to check myself before revealing all of my thoughts. Overall, it was a really great way to spend a Friday night.

the cute fawn with Air1 playing in the background

Today Daddy made me my favorite breakfast of old: a bacon and egg sandwich. It was delicious! Since I convinced Uncle Pat that I NEEDED bbq before leaving and being deprived for 2 months, I went down the road to help him season and marinate the pork ribs. We also plowed out the potatoes in his garden and got five 5 gallon buckets full! Being that potatoes are by far the best vegetable to pick, I had a great morning. (They are the best because they require digging in the dirt and make for some darn good eatin'...duh!) Next mom and I got some last minute shopping done in town where I ran into some beautiful familiar faces (by no coincidence I assure you). We double checked my packed luggage and worked to finalize a few other details before our early morning departure for Dallas tomorrow. Around 4 pm we headed back to town to get our sins absolved and now, clean as a whistle, I sit before my computer finishing up this blog and smelling the savory aroma of the hot supper on the stove ready to be eaten with the whole family. Since I was pulled away from the blog in order to eat, I will finish this post now. The bbq was great (as expected). All the uncles and Grandma came over to eat together in our shop and all enjoyed the meal. Afterwards, I reluctantly gave my last hug to Grandma and watched her head to the house. Uncle Ronnie and I drove through the pastures looking at the calf born today, the calf born earlier this week, and the mamma cow that's expected to pop in the next couple of weeks. I'm glad I got the chance to hang around with him and ask him my few questions about the cattle business. Then Uncle Mike, Pat, Ronnie, and I played straight dominoes and even though we switched partners, my team always won so I guess that means I'm the good one right? Daddy came home and we chowed down on blue bell (their seasonal "Red White and Blue Bell"). It was so good by the way! Now its time to make sure I have everything and hit the hay because Moulton 6:30 am mass sure is gonna come quick in the morning!

Maybe all of this detail (for those of you who read all the way through) seems unnecessary but I tell you all of this to prove a point. This may be a simple life my family and I live out here but its a beautiful one. One that I have not always appreciated, and I definitely did not always count as a blessing from the Father. My telling of my last week home to y'all is simply to show you that the Lord showers us with favors if we only open our eyes and our hearts to see them. Knowing the adventure I am about the embark on, He allowed me to experience all of my favorite things of home throughout this last week. He reminded me that no matter how far I travel or how long I am gone, I always have a place, this place - my home - to come back to and these people to love me through it all.

Thank You Jesus :)