Each morning, I smile as the memories roll in. It’s hard not to feel a small tug on the heartstrings. All I have to do is look out our front door at the turn around in our driveway, the empty spaces get me every time.
I recover quickly because I love our empty nest driveway.
I think back at happy memories of the two spaces where our daughters parked their cars.
There was the dark green car, and the burgundy car, and the silver car, and the yellow car. Both girls off on their own now, all independent from us and those parking spaces.
I remember how they’d spend hours and hours playing on our driveway.
They’d play in the rain then gather in the front porch to watch for rainbows after the storms passed by.
Our driveway is where they’d run. Where they’d ride their bikes. Where they’d draw with chalk. Where they’d have balloon fights, or fly their kites.
I remember all of their first days of school.
I remember our family road trip to see our youngest celebrate her college graduation.
The girls hugged to celebrate how they both had completed that stage in life. So full of energy to take on the next stages of their adventures.
I remember how I held back the tears as I watched them walk ahead of us, feeling so proud of them.
They’ve both left their hometown where they grew up.
I remember taking them through town to play at the park many a day.
As they grew, they knew they were free to come and go as they pleased. And usually made it back by curfew too.
They were free to explore the wild side of life.
Our driveway has seen sunrises without a shed blocking the view. Man, I miss those days too.
It has weathered extremes in temps.
It has reflected sunrises on my flowers.
It has welcomed foggy moments of life.
Our empty nest and our long and winding driveway stay ready to welcome their next visit home. The last time they were here was Christmas! Oy … it’s been a long six months …
Post Inspiration – Lens-Artists #100 – Tina gave us the prompt of The Long and Winding Road
PS – Check out the fun over at Lens-Artists, congrats to all who host the challenge, and for reaching 100 posts! Stay safe and stay well, xx
Cherished memories held close to the heart. This day, and everyday, we are the sum of so many yesterdays. Thank you for sharing those memories and for my morning smile while prompting examining my own. g
Thank you for your words of encouragement, g! It’s important to reflect and learn from our memories.
Enjoyed your walk down the winding road of memory lane Shelley. Hope the next visit comes along soon!
Thank you, Tina, I appreciate your visit down my memory lane. Thank you for hosting #100! Your selection of photos fit the prompt well, I’m sharing the link here to make it easier for others to see what I’m talking about!
https://travelsandtrifles.wordpress.com/2020/06/06/lens-artists-challenge-100-the-long-and-winding-road/
It’s hard not to drift back to those days. Lovely photos, today.
Yes, it is Dan. Thank you, I appreciate your encouragement.
It sure has been a long six months! I keep thinking how glad I am that my family celebrated a fun Valentine’s Day–my husband and I each took one of our guys and did a getaway with a hotel overnight. It was not romantic, but it was so special (and I got to ski, which I love). Then, in March the boys had a field trip (their only this year) to the State House in Annapolis, which is always nice. So glad we got these things in before all the isolation. I’m also getting wistful about reuniting with other family! Hope you get to get together with your girls soon!
It’s a good thing you did get those fun adventures in. So yes, I’m glad I did things before this all hit too. Like seeing my dad. Now the county he lives in has restrictions for visitors. Probably because many of the vacation homes are owned by those who live in states south of us.
I hope we’ll get together with our kids soon too. Both girls were born in July, I want to see them for their birthdays!
Wonderful memories and photos, Shelley. Your girls are lovely! 😊
Thank you, John!!
My poetry teacher always reminds us that the universal comes not from generalizations but from details. Like the best poems, your family stories radiate outward — allowing your readers to be part of them while remaining completely ourselves in our own stories. Like the best poems, they make the circle ever larger.
Aw, Ellen, thank you for sharing your words of wisdom, I appreciate your encouragement!
A beautiful and heart-felt look back, Shelley. I love how you personalized the theme this week. I’m sure your daughters have wonderful parents and great memories, too. 😊
Thank you, Patti. I appreciate your encouragement and also your take on the prompt. The photos fit beautifully with your thoughts about the state of the world right now.
Lovely collection of photos and memories. Driveways are the stage for so many family moments. Sweet photos of your daughters 🙂 Six months is way too long…
Thank you, Andrea. Yes, 6 months and counting is way too long. 🙁
You’re welcome. Every day is one day too much longer.
Lovely photos and memories. We don’t have kids but I can imagine the bittersweet feeling parents have watching their kidlets turn into successful adults. My parents had those feelings too as my brothers and I grew up and left home. I love the picture of your two young daughters walking down the driveway.
Thank you, Janis. I appreciate your feedback. I wish I was the one who took that photo of the kids, but it was Mr. He’s a great photographer who has handed off the task to me, with encouragement he helps me see things I might want to grab the camera for!
Thank you, Shelley for sharing your sweet memories with us. A very beautiful post for this theme.
Thank you, Amy! I’m really impressed with the photos you shared of your long bus ride. You made it look easy to capture such beautiful scenery!
I hate that shed
LMAO!! Me too!
I like your take on your driveway and how your girls have moved on. I’ve never thought of our driveway with such love as you do yours. What a sweet post.
Thank you, Ally, we spent a lot of time with our kids on our driveway over the years. 🙂
Superb photos and reminiscences. I like your watchful dog. Nothing will get by it!!
Thank you, John. Yes, he’s quite watchful. Now that he can’t hear, some things to get by him or sneak up on him. 🙂
Shelley – I like the misty photographs … and the reflections about life back in the day before you were empty nesters and afterward. As you know, time passes much too quickly
Thank you, Linda. Each day is special, looking back does make me misty too. Where has the first 6 months of 2020 gone?!!
I was just going to say that to you in my last response Shelley. There are 200 days left in this year … this is the 166 day of the year and it seems like we should be done with the entire year – it has flown by with the focus on the pandemic, then rioting. 2020 goes down in the books as horrific for sure.
Ugh, last year at this time I hadn’t thought the year had flown by as quickly. Definitely this year has flown by in a distorted fashion. I do not disagree with your thoughts on 2020! I keep scratching my head wondering how I can refocus my sad thoughts and find good ones. I may have some ideas to share soon. We’ll see.
This is a year for the books … bad enough the events of the world, without what you went thru with your Dad and Stepmother.
Yes, that’s for sure. What I went through with them, and how they’re still doing so-so, I agree with you, it’s a year for the books!
Great post, what a nice reflection. Lovely photos too.
Thank you, I appreciate you stopping by to check out the post!
What a touching post. You had me at the first picture with the doggie looking wistfully down the driveway. I’m with you, I get a little sentimental about the quiet house every now and then, but mostly just enjoy it. You live in a beautiful place.
Thank you, Geanie! Copper does like to pose as though he’s wistful for something no matter which direction he goes. The morning light is my favorite time of day to capture him doing so. Thank you for your feedback. You’re right, we mostly just enjoy the quietness now. We’re missing the plan for our next visit by the kids. Normally we have that to look forward to. 😉