The House That Built Me

this is my childhood home.
the only home i remember.
my parent's built it and raised me and my brothers there.
my room was the one to the left of the front door.
i left this home about 25 years ago.
but, it is the house that built me.

i grew up in lucas, tx...beautiful country outside dallas.
i left in 1991 when i graduated high school and, have only been back a few times.
when i was there ten years ago, we actually knocked on the door and toured our old home.
wonderful, wonderful memories.

a few months ago we heard we had lost a family friend.
it was the dad of one of my great childhood friends and the husband of my mom's dear friend.
with that news, my mom called and said, "i'm going to texas. want to go?".
YES!
so, off we went.  we have spent the last four days visiting, laughing, crying,
and touring my wonderful home town.
{it had been ten years since we have been there}.
it some ways - it has changed dramatically.
in others - it is just the same.

we saw our old home. paint was different but, structure was the same.  more homes have been built around it.  {more homes have been built everywhere}!
the small country roads are the same but, more buildings crowd the edges.
my little elementary school was still there but, it has grown in to a whole school district of it's own.
malls and whole foods are plopped down in what used to be
"the middle of nowhere".

and, this was still there.
i was so excited. i had to go in...just to buy a bottle of water and tell the new owner that i use to ride my bike there and buy lots of candy for {literally} pennies.

on our last day, we had breakfast at the french cafe where i worked through high school.
the owner was still there.
and.
he knew exactly who i was.

most importantly, the people were still there.
those wonderful family friends and close girlfriends.
some of them knew we were coming...others, we surprised.
regardless, everyone seemed happy to see us and we were thrilled to see them.
there is something so wonderful...even magical...about connecting with old friends...
i love them.  they have been kept in a little pocket inside my heart and now i can't stop thinking about them.  my soul is so happy to have them in my life.

i guess it's not just that house that built me but, these fabulous women. my mom's friends were a great influence on my teenage years and my friends made my memories golden.
{of the friends i saw, one friend was my dearest elementary/middle school friend,
while the other was my sidekick in high school}.

to my hometown...
thank you for the memories, the laughs, the tears.
thank you for keeping small pieces of the past amidst your crazy growth.
thank you for helping build me.