California Dreamin'

We spent our weekend with Shawn's favorite uncle and his two cousins who drove all the
way to Louisiana from southern California.  We had the most amazing time relaxing,
talking for hours, reminiscing, looking through old photo albums.  They are such
genuinely good people: so down to earth, accepting, loving in every way.  The kind of
"house guests" who don't feel like guests at all, they just feel like they should have been
there all along.  I served them meal after meal of hot, rich Southern food, putting their
organic California hearts in absolute heaven and putting them on the fast track for
high cholesterol.  They took full advantage of the country life, enjoying a late night jam
session in the back yard, amazed at the freedom and lack of neighbors.  We took
naps, watched countless hours of football, and ate more brownies than I care to admit.
It was an amazing weekend that lifted our spirits so high, a high that can only be
reached through true connections.

My heart felt so happy all weekend every time I looked at Shawn and saw his amazing 

smile bursting at the seams.  He has lived in Louisiana for 10 years now and truly 

considers this his home, but he misses his family every day, wishing we could be just a 

little closer to make weekends like this a regular event.  He was so proud to show his 

family our property, the big red barn, the bridge he built over the creek in the back, 

the hammock and tire swing, the little world he has created for himself and his tribe.  He 

was so proud to show them who he is now, the man he has grown into.  And I was so proud 

to see him so happy and content, to watch him enjoy his roots in the place he now calls 

HOME.

When the car with the California plates was all packed up, kisses and hugs and tears
and promises of see you again soon, we took a deep breath and dove back into our reality.
We took a piece of this memory and stored it away in the treasure chest we hold dear.
Shawn thanked me for all the cooking, the nurturing, the spoiling, the Southern
hospitality.  With tears in his eyes, he thanked me for loving his family so deeply, telling
me how much it made HIM feel loved.
Such a simple, slow weekend: such big life lessons.