We left the hotel this morning to take the short drive to my in-laws house, when our boys asked if it was ok to drive around town so we could share memories of when we lived there years ago.  We lived in in my husband’s home town for about five years soon after we were married and during that time our sons Aaron and David were born, in the same hospital where my husband had been born.  The town and the county are full of Bushes, both alive and not so alive, as the family is a strong part of the history of this area and so my boys get a kick out of learning about and seeing landmarks of those places that reflect the history of their family, both from distant past and the not so distant past.

During this early time in our marriage, we had wonderful support from family and made the greatest of friends, but we were young, not always the most mature and there were mistakes, hard times, hurt feelings and relationship struggles that make some memories about this time period hard to deal with.  It’s like listening to a song from your past, all of the feelings dredged up, good and bad, bringing back vivid memories of where and when you heard it and who you heard it with.  So sometimes, when I see these places we lived and worked, those feelings of dread, sadness and sometimes shame hit hard.

But then there are the memories with people we loved, working on musicals, singing Christmas carols together around town, getting together to play games at each others place that we hold near and dear to our hearts.  Those can’t necessarily be tied to a particular place to share with the boys but are stories we can share.

As I was walking around my husband’s childhood home today where my in-laws still live, I realized that that home has been a source of stability in my life as well.  Having been a part of this family for two thirds of my life, that little red brick house has almost become my childhood home.  As an Air Force brat, I really don’t identify any one  particular place as home so this is about as close as it gets.  Aside from us all getting a bit older, and the family expanding, not much has changed.

Four generations met to celebrate Thanksgiving today, with the opportunity to introduce new family members to each other.  The unconditional love that met me when I joined this family nearly 40 years ago has remained constant as my boys have brought home their girls and now we introduce their children.  Despite the long drive, it is a drive down memory lane that I cherish and now love to share.

Time may not completely erase the negative feelings that may arise from the experiences of a newly married couple, but it does bring peace and contentment when you’re creating new memories with people who love each other, and I’m grateful.