Day 4... the story continues...

Leaving my father to his own devices, we probably would have never ventured far from home; it was my mom, apparently, that had the wanderlust. I've inherited a bit of that. My daughter has inherited a lot of it. Although she hasn't yet begun her world journey, I can feel that is she is chomping at the bit. And, bless my parents - they are full of encouragement and acceptance of this. They are not now, nor have they ever been, the kind of parents who want their children to live next door.

As we grew up, we traveled. Vacations every year to new locations. We explored the Midwest, our own state and neighboring states, in the beginning. As my dad's vacation time grew, we traveled further East - 5 kids in a station wagon, arguing over window seats. And later, as his vacation time became 3 weeks, we headed west. It would seem, in retrospect, that we were looking for our own favorite places  in the world, and certainly the U.S. became our own personal backyard. All that time I thought it was my dad that wanted to venture the country, but it wasn't. It was my mother. She was that voice we did not hear as loudly, the one that whispered in his ear. The one that said 'show me the world'. And show her, he did, along with us. The budget was tight, so we camped.

My mom and dad eventually settled in Colorado for ten years or more. I think this was the place they were happiest.. at least it was that way for my mom. My dad and I are more inclined toward warmer climates. One of my brothers stayed in that general area and still lives out west. I liked California and continued to live there sans family for many years after my parents went to the mountain top in Colorado. My youngest brother eventually joined the Coast Guard and traveled quite a bit of the world. Another brother went north to Alaska, where he once had an address at the North Pole.  My children loved his letters with the location stamped on it. He regaled them with stories of Santa and the elves, along with reindeer tricks. Michael ended up in Minnesota eventually, with a woman he loves. I married and moved east again.., to Maryland. My youngest brother, Larry, had his last tour of duty in our nation's capitol and has continued to live here in Maryland since shortly before his retirement. My parents moved here in 1992 or thereabouts. And that is yet another story worth telling, for it is the story of how my children came to love my parents as I do. 

Now I live next door to my parents - or rather they live next door to me, and it is this story I know best as it includes me, each and every day. I became a voyeur as well as a  participant in their journey toward the end days. And I am glad to have had them, along with this...