Melody of Memories: Souvenirs
Seasons change - snow turns to water and every passing Christmas is another reminder of how fast it all happens.
Life after the Pickwick years got interesting. James and Ellie moved off to Denver. Jesse and Taylor ended up in Dallas, by way of Southern California. And Laurie, Trip and I moved to Lafayette, Louisiana.
Like any new adventure, there is always that period of initial excitement - a honeymoon phase. And living in South Louisiana was no different. It was a new world, with a new language. The work-hard-play-hard culture of Acadiana is second to nothing I have experienced. The food, music and culture of that world was intoxicating … literally!
We enjoyed sharing that world with our friends and family. But like some adventures, it was short-lived, and we moved back home, with one more addition to the family – Emmie, our Cajun Queen.
Moving back home to Tennessee was very intentional. I got into trucking; Laurie and I knew the neighborhood where we wanted to live; the church that we would raise our family; the schools we wanted Trip and Emmie to attend; and the country club where they would swim, play tennis and golf. And best of all, we were 3 miles from Heypa and Sissy.
Collecting Souvenirs
Like Lafayette before, there was an excitement at first of starting a new life. And best of all – we had a support system all around us. But life starts getting tough as a young dad, and because I was raising kids and running a truck-line, I remember leaning hard on Dad for his hard-earned advice.
On most weekends we’d get together, and when it was warm enough the kids would swim. Dad and I would talk business, while grilling out. Eventually, when Mom had heard enough shop talk, she would turn on the country music to try to transition the conversation. We’d listen to the classics. I would get distracted for long enough to listen to a song and then I would bring trucking back up. And, she’d shut it down with more music. We’d listen to the new stuff, too. And I would bring back up trucking …
Sometimes a thought or a problem can just stop you in your tracks. Some folks call it getting in a rut, a slump for an athlete, writer’s block for an author … an endless cycle where each passing night blurs into the very next morning. Sometimes it takes a mom or a dad, a spouse or a best buddy to help you see the issue correctly and get you back on track. Sometimes a song can help too.
John Prine’s song Souvenirs is one track that Dad and I both have worn out over the years. It really cuts to a core truth about most people - all along the way we are collecting souvenirs, whether we realize it or not. And to say the obvious part out loud - building anything is not always pretty.
Looking back, I realize Dad had been teaching me to create those souvenirs.
Slowly, Laurie and I intentionally placed the blocks of a new life into place. We tried out a new church in our community that we still attend to this day. I began coaching youth baseball and Laurie started working for the municipal school district.
We began rebuilding our world. We started renovations on our home. We even got two puppies, Denver and Dallas, to remind me of my brothers and their families. We were building new memories by the day.
So, by the time Dad and Mom sold their place in Tennessee and moved full-time to Florida, it didn’t hurt as badly. Our family of four (plus two) had years of souvenirs. Plus, it didn’t hurt that we had new places to see…