Three Graduations, a Release and an Engagement!

What a blessing it was to be able to travel home for truly wonderful reasons.  In contrast, by this time last year, I'd been to Detroit five times to funeralize loved ones; What a difference a year makes!
My family means the world to me and I try to be as present as one can living 1100 miles away.  But my family is huge so, some things I can attend and sadly, many I cannot.  But when we get together it's always wonderful (even at the funerals).  And this visit, I got to see the city through the eyes of my nieces which was a new experience for me-one which I will cherish for a long time!!
First off,  Dorothy's refrain, "there's no place like home" rang true for me.  There's just a way you settle down and settle in at 'home' that's next to impossible anywhere else.  During my three day visit in the "D" I thoroughly enjoyed  lavishing love on nieces (and one nephew) all the while being dazzled by the changes in my city.  Detroit is a jewel in the north that most Americans will never experience.  And that is truly a shame dear reader because, at 318 or so years old Detroit is a grand dame that has watched this nation unite, almost fall apart and then unite again.  My city still fascinates and surprises me.  Just when I think I've seen it all, there is a new pocket opening itsself up to reinterpretation and exploration.  I got to rediscover Cass corridor where the venerable Wayne State University is housed, the Detroit Institute of Art (one of the best in the country) and the historic National Bank building all in the guise of enjoying well cooked meals and seeing ancient art through virtual reality technology. It felt wonderful taking the passengers position while my nieces crafted experiences (and picked up checks. GLORY!).  I felt spoiled, useful, considered, integral; all of the things a needy aunt wants to feel.   Theres's nothing like family and no place like home!
Khalaya (GVSU Grad 2019), Khiyon, Me and Sylvia

Angela Marie and Me

James, Me and Angela (CHS grad 2019)

Ebony (dtr Nia BHS grad 2019) and Me
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Big Chop

Image
There comes a time in every womans life when she knows it's time for a change.  There's a subtle and discernible shift in the air around your brain where everything starts to look off.  My time came during our church fast in January.  Fasts are great times to confront LOTS of things, such as our cravings, our shortcomings and the dross that clutters up our lives.  Funny thing, my hair started feeling like part of the clutter.  On a hot day, there it was suffocating and clingy. While cleaning and cooking? There it was hanging all over the place.  Falling into my food while eating? All too common.  Then there were the constant comments and apparently hard to control urges to touch my hair by stranger after grabby stranger (without permission of course).  I started feeling like my hair could have hosted its own Facebook page and been waaaay more popular than me!  So my white roots started growing out but I had no particular plan in mind for the new growth.  Styling my hair with so
Read more

Me, Myself, and I

Image
I have been trying to take better care of myself lately and surprise, surprise, I've been succeeding.  I think it's one of those things where you take your eyes off the ball for a season and the ball balloons up from a tennis to a basketball! Lol.  Seriously though, I think some of us are better wired to effortlessly juggle multiple responsibilities;  I didn't get that wiring.  It's the ability we all seek in life but unfortunately strive too hard to achieve.  And striving tends to be futile and unbecoming.  As a caregiver I've found that it was all too easy to make excuses about taking good care of my temple.  I could recite Romans 12:1 easily and part of me wanted to be that acceptable sacrifice.  But another self-serving part of me wanted to wallow in the seemingly overwhelming desire to stuff my feelings of frustration and fear down with food.  I just couldn't seem to get 'it' ALL done?   I can remember recently sitting in the doctors office crying a
Read more

From San Antonio to San Antonio and back again

Image
Sometimes, you just get these crazy ideas and you think, 'why not?'  That's how it generally is when Raymond goes out of town for a class reunion or a golf outing.  I always say, "when the cats away, the mice will play", so my mind immediately constructs some fun adventure Dad and I can get into.  See, I used to sit at home and mope a bit when he'd leave.  You know, the old, 'woe is me!!, why can't I be having any fun?!?!' * cue the violins * Then, it dawned on me one day: Why AREN'T you having fun?  Fun is a CHOICE.  I flipped the script and next thing you know I've got us booked to go to San Antonio. No...the OTHER San Antonio.  You may not already know this dear reader but, I actually live in San Antonio, FLORIDA ( people who live right up the road in Tampa have never even heard of San Antonio Florida so, don't feel bad. LOL).  Anyway, I've never spent any real time in Texas so, I says to Dad, "You wanna go to the OTHER San
Read more