Do You Have a Blackshear?
Jan 9, 2008 Thoughts
Ever since I was born, I have visited a small town in south Georgia called Blackshear. Blackshear is where my dad’s side of the family is from, and his mother, my grandmother, still lives there in the same house she always had. Every year at Christmas time, I drive down, and the family gets together at that house for a few days to just be together. A lot of times, it means doing absolutely nothing, but doing it together.
Before I go on, let me explain the city itself. This is a small town where the houses are sometimes a mile apart. Once upon a time, the house was on a farm, and the field across the road from the house was a field of crops. It has not changed since my dad lived there, harvesting the crops with his brothers. But make sure you get a good mental image here. A house with a big yard, a large field across the street, and a pond at the other end of the field.
As a child, I would also go down there during the summer, in addition to Thanksgiving and Christmas, with my dad. Along with my cousins, we would camp by the river, go fishing, play football, shoot BB guns, jump on the trampoline, have bonfires at night, and other stuff that you do when you are free from the worries of the city.
I am 27 now, and not that much has changed. I still hang out with my dad, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grand mother. Sure, I will occasionally drive to town to find a coffee shop with WiFi, and there are more kids now, but other than that, it is the same Blackshear I have always come to. It’s home.
So that leads me to my recent ponderings. Do other people have a place like that? Not a carbon copy, but a place that is home no matter what. A place where you have a lifetime of memories. A place to get away from the crap that life can throw at you. A place where time almost seems to stop when you are there. Do you have a place like this?
I was driving around a few weeks ago, and as I would pass by houses, these questions came to mind. Is that house I just passed seen by someone as their Blackshear? Will those kids jumping on the trampoline be coming to that same house in 20 years and smile at the remembrance of that activity?
I really hope so. I think everyone needs a Blackshear.
Looking at the house:
Looking towards the pond:
Tags: Blackshear, christmas, family, Memories, Thoughts
