There’s the family, there’s the appointments and then there’s the accelerated world events of late. Your head spinning? Mine too! One thing for sure, as Bob Dylan sang, is: “The Times – They are a Changin’.”
My schedule doesn’t fully allow for it and recent aches and pains have had me doubting the plan, but I went ahead and booked a flight home to Terrace B.C. to visit family and check in on my 94-year-old dad.
Sometimes there’s no real purpose to the trip except it feels like an itch I need to scratch. After T.B.I., it seems there is a type of sixth sense that intuitively guides us, and I’ve usually (99.9% of the time) found it to provide the forward motion that I need. So, like an old salmon swimming back to its beginning I board the plane, follow the mountain ranges and rivers leading north.
The house is 70 years old now! A little bungalow built by my dad when he and mom wed in 1955. Five babies arrived in six years and that house was bursting at the seams! Somehow, we survived, even thrived, as we became each other’s best friends. Prior to us leaving the nest, relations did become somewhat strained as five teenagers fought over one bathroom!
So here I am this weekend, back in my old high school bedroom, with the same pink wallpaper, worn old furniture. The house is filled with photos of babies and brides, graduation, and anniversary parties. An ancient clock still keeps good time, and a gentler rhythm sets the pace.
It happens so subtly you’re barely aware but this stepping back, returning to a familiar safe place, puts everything into focus again. Often, I refer to it as recalibrating my compass. There’s marked improvement in memory and concentration. Surrounding myself with the familiar helps me to remember events and people I had forgotten. Physically I am able to sleep and relax which in turn helps reduce pain levels.
In essence, it’s a healing place. I would welcome you all here to experience the beautiful surroundings and great hospitality but then I would have to share the bathroom! It may not be your childhood home but each one of us are aware of a place that feels safe. Visiting the past is sometimes where our future healing begins.
Photo Description: Debra and her father standing in front of the house that her grandfather built in 1912. It now serves as a lovely coffee shop.
