Today I am dealing with lots of emotions and memories. It all started with a weekend trip to Houston this past weekend.
Our family didn't go on vacation this year due to our daughter's surgery at the end of June. I think it was sometime back before the surgery that my husband discovered a band he used to listen to years ago was doing "one last concert" in Houston. He had missed their "final concert" the last time and really wanted to go. My daughter and I are really not into his kind of music. He assured us that we didn't have to go to the concert with him. We could make the trip with him to keep him company, get reservations at a nice hotel, stay over for an extra day, and make it a mini-vacation. The date was far enough out after the surgery that we figured our daughter would be able to travel comfortably. So, we decided to go for it. My husband found a buddy to go to the concert with him, we made reservations at a nice hotel, and off we went for our mini-vacation.
As the date approached for the trip, I really wasn't looking forward to it. It's been very hot lately in our corner of the world. Five hours away in Houston the temperatures are not that different, but the humidity leaves you feeling like you are breathing water. So, the weather was one part of my not looking forward to the trip. The other part of my dread was the fact that there is no longer any family there.
I have been making the trip to Houston with my husband for 24 years. Yes, we've been married for 23, but I made a couple of trips with him the year we were engaged. Always at the other end there had been my Mother in-law's warm embrace to welcome me to her home or the warm welcome of my bother and sister in-law. This was actually the first trip I was making to Houston since my Mother in-law's passing in September, 2011. A lot has changed since then. My brother and sister in-law have moved away and there is no longer any family to visit in Houston. I knew this trip would be different and strange.
It was different than any trip we have ever been on. We stayed at a hotel on the north side in a man-made urban setting. When we arrived, my husband and daughter went to park the car while I checked in since the reservations were in my name. I was warmly greeted by the hotel staff. They made me feel that they were welcoming us into their home. Our room had a view facing the river that runs through the area. It was a quiet and relaxing place to rest. During our time away we managed to find something that we all enjoyed.
The only time our car left the garage was when my husband used it to travel to the concert he attended. Everything in this urban setting was withing walking distance of the hotel. I was able to spend Saturday morning in a quiet corner of the lobby in Bible study and prayer. While Dad and Daughter spent time exploring the area. Later in the afternoon Mom and Daughter had pedicures in the hotel spa. That evening we took a short walk to a frozen yogurt shop and then to a movie. It was a quiet, restful, relaxing day.
We slept in Sunday morning, got a quick breakfast at Starbucks, and hit the road back to our little corner of the world. We stopped at our usual halfway point for lunch. It was after we got back on the road after lunch that I started crying. I don't know exactly what it was my husband said that got me started.
I miss my in-laws. This month marks the second anniversary of my Mother in-law's passing. November will mark the third anniversary of my Father in-law's passing. They both had various serious health issues and were both in their 80s. I'm thankful for all the years I had with them as their Daughter in-law.. I'm thankful for the parents they were to my wonderful husband. I'm thankful for the grandparents they were to our Daughter. My Mother in-law was one of our Daughter's biggest encouragers and cheerleaders. I'm thankful they are both at home in heaven with their Savior, Jesus Christ, and that I will see them again one day. I would not wish them back here on this earth, but I miss them and the visits we used to have with them in their home on our trips to Houston.
A visit in their home always included at least one special meal that my mother in-law would cook and one meal out. The meal she cooked might be an old family favorite or a new recipe she wanted to share with us. Because they knew that our daughter loves Mexican, our meal out was most often at a neighborhood Mexican restaurant. Evenings always meant games. Our favorite was Golf. My husband seemed to win more often than not. So, we would have fun cheering each other on and trying to beat him. I still remember the big smile and the twinkle in my Mother in-laws eye when she would manage to beat him.
This past weekend's trip to Houston was different, but it was not bad. The three of us made new memories. I don't know how often we will travel to Houston in the future, but I will be able to travel there the next time without dreading it. There may be tears in my eyes as I remember past visits and miss the loved ones we have lost, but I am ready to move forward into the future and make new memories.
