Home, Day 2

I came home to possibly say goodbye to the place where I grew up, the house my family and I made memories in, with land to roam and a creek right behind my house where I fished, explored, and started to learn what I believe and am passionate about. My best friend lived right across a wooded area with a path cutting through the forest so we could walk to each others houses, and my neighbors played house with my sister and I. We made fairy houses, had hand stand competitions in the pool, played neighborhood kick the can, raised 3 dogs, went sledding down the huge hill in between our house and my grandmother's house, had our hearts broken, mended, and grew up.

It's bittersweet. I love it out West, but I grew up here, and while I like to pretend I belong out west, part of my heart will always be here.

I got to sit down with my grandmother tonight and found out my grandfather worked for the CCC when he was younger - this fact made my day. The Civilian Conservation Corps was the founding program that eventually lead to the MCC, Montana Conservation Corps, where I worked for 9 months and literally changed my life - lead to the SCC, Southwest Conservation Corps where Devin currently works, and other conservation corps'. It just makes sense to me, and while I never got a chance to really know him, how I like to believe that part of him lives on in me. Cheesy, maybe. Or maybe just hopeful. I was so young when he passed, and these stories and memories are all we have sometimes to keep people's lives alive, to remember them, celebrate them.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_Conservation_Corps

I'm holding back tears while writing this because I didn't think it would be this hard to be home and let go of this place... but it is.

I am trying to make my posts more concise and on point - not rattling away like I normally do. So that's all for now - Congrats to my sister who is celebrating her graduation from college tomorrow. Proud of her.

Hope you all have lots to celebrate these days and if not, please find something to celebrate - so cliche, but life's too short, go have fun, find your happy, even if you have to do it alone - you're never really alone, ever - that's something else I've learned this summer. That's what life is about, growing, learning, communicating, relationships - so go off into that great blue yonder and 'do', 'be', and 'live.'