Home, Again.

When I was a kid, every time we pulled into the driveway I would wake to my parents saying, "home again, home again." I turned 29 in March, and EVERY time I pull into that driveway I can still hear my parent's echo, just as I was a child waking up from a long car nap. This weekend was more of a coming home than I ever imagined it would be. It's the place where I tried every trick in the book to retrieve toilet paper from trees, where I learned to ride my bike, and spent every summer day in a bathing suit. After a long moving day on Friday, I laid my head down and thought about the million-and-one memories on Yale Drive. I laughed as I thought about the endless fights Mandy and I had over bigger closets, clothes, and bathroom time. The house in Griffin has become a blink in time- a learning experience, at best. I never saw myself calling that house home. I tried, many times, to grow a love for it the way I felt about my childhood home. But Yale Drive is home- and mom is finally back, so glad to call it home again. When I left, Sunday, I could tell she was overjoyed to be back in a place that has always been home for her. While she was physically in another house, her heart has always been in Jonesboro.

On Friday, I had a hard time getting in touch with my Ineveranswermycellphonebecauseitwouldgiveawaythatimdoingsomethingotherthanwhatimsupposedtobedoing mother (did you get all of that?). And honestly, it's become something that we're accoustomed to in our family. For as long as I can remember, my mother has been IMPOSSIBLE to get in touch with. You'll think she's dead and gone...and then she shows up with gifts for everyone, and food to feed an army- because her intentions are good, but her communication is not.

But I digress.

Friday was no different than any other day- I called her a few times to see what the plans were for roping the masses for this VERY.LAST.EVER. move. After I couldn't reach her, I gave her 30 minutes to call me back- and she did. See how that works, just like teaching a child-give them the opportunity to make decisions for themselves and they'll do the right thing every time! She tells me that she's on her way home from the bone scan. Knowing that she's in Kennesaw, I do the math.

"So you'll be home in 45-or-so minutes" I say.
"Uum, you know how bad Atlanta traffic can be, I'm not sure how long it will take."

Let me stop us here- it was 11:00 in the afternoon. Although Atlanta traffic has the potential to shut down the entire city, chances are good it's not going to happen in the middle of the afternoon- that was red flag #1. I let her go, reminding myself to call her back- we had lots to do in a short amount of time, no piddling around today. Time passes, and I haven't seen or heard from her in hours- red flag #2. So I call back.

"Where ARE you, mom? It's almost 4:30 and everyone is supposed to be in Griffin between 5 and 5:30. Are you even CLOSE to home?"

"Wellllll, (I like when she says that, it means she's been caught) I'm just now in Stockbridge- I should be home in 40 minutes."

"WHAT!?!?" Because the only thing keeping someone from getting to Griffin from Kennesaw in a time frame of FIVE hours is a small war, or Bubonic Plague or...well, you'll find out. "Mom, what have you been doing- seriously" I say.

"Well, I bought a car."

I hassled her for a few minutes over the timing of it all- and she said that she honestly felt bad for lying to us, but HAD to have the car. And really, at the end of the day- it didn't matter. Her goal was for everything to come together at once, and I can't really blame her. Because- at the end of the day, life is too short to be mad about silly things like your mom wanting a car (even if it keeps all the help in the world on hold). It's too short to be focusing on individual situations- when she's seeing the big picture. And anyway, when you get IN that car....you forget why you were mad to begin with.