Anticipation

As I write this on Thursday June 4th, I`m thinking about a week from today.  If all goes well my nieces and I will be on our way to our Family Gathering in Charleston WV. There will be lots of reminiscing when we get together. Some of the nieces and nephews that I baby sat with now have grey hair and are gettin up in years. Even my children are all past 50 and some of the grandchildren are not far from 50. Where did it all go.
    The creek that I used to wade across is still there but with the exchange of property almost 70 years ago in order to build the first " car" bridge closed the path to that part of the water. I sometimes dream of those days when shoes were unheard of for kids in the summer,wading the cool clear water in the creek or ruts in the road after a warm summer rain.
  The 2 room school where my older siblings went to the 8th.grade. When I was old enough to go ,only one room was used,went through 3rd. My oldest children went there for a short time. The building is gone forever but so many memories remain,playing games,hopscotch,marbles, "Andy over the pigs in the clover,can`t get him out `til the ball goes over",as we threw the ball over the building. The hand water pump in the school yard,the his and her`s out houses. Who could forget that.
  The small hill where most of us attended church is still there but the building is no longer. The lot is empty where my grandma lived,and I spent many happy hours with her. She died when I was 12 When I see the spot it brings it all back like it wasn't that long ago. The house that I was born and raised in still stands, the paint is all chipping and the wood looks like it is about done for.The outhouse is still there. The swing is gone from the front porch  where we did some of our "courting" or just sat in the evening listening to the frogs, hoot owls,crickets and whip o wills. Also in summer people would gather around our fence to hear my brothers and sister in law sing hymns.
My mother always welcomed everyone,there was always food,nobody could ever make food as tasty as my mom.
  There are the fields where my dad and his mule tilled the ground and raised our food,all empty now,only the ground and memories remain.
 We will visit the cemetery hill where the population has grown in so many years. It will be bittersweet,with even more memories.
  I am so happy to be going back and it will be fun with lots of laughs and good to see the ones I haven't seen for many years.  Maybe speak to many times about remembering,but some day there won't be anyone to remember or even know about  OUR  memories.