You Can Go Home Again -- Things Change, but Some Things Remain the Same

I drove home to surprise Mom for Mother's Day.  She's 93 years young and every mile was worth seeing many of the people I love.  Mom lives in the same home where my dad was born in 1914.  So, going home is --going home.

I was raised with the knowledge and belief that Johnny Appleseed planted all the apple trees in the prairie states.  In fact, my Grandma's apple tree was one of them.  I never doubted the tales that the Malloy's told.  Fact and fiction were interchangeable in this big old house.

I loved visiting with my dad's family.  They were talkers.  They talked about everything.  AND they were clannish.  We were lucky we were born Malloys, they told us on a frequent basis....you can marry into the pack....but I was Malloy by blood and that was good.

Bathebee's and shillelaghs were a fact of life.  The stories that flew around the house were priceless.  They talked about the weather, the pets, the children, each other, the CHURCH, the Pope, the Old Country, the crops, the food, the garden, each other all at once.  To say it was lively was an understatement.  It was a large, Irish, Catholic family....full of love and many alcoholics. (New Year's Eve was called Amateur Night-- I heard it with my own ears.)

I had aunts and uncles that would hide tumblers behind curtains at every family gathering.  I was about eight when I slyly tasted it and knew they were drinking beer in the morning...adults should not drink beer for breakfast.  I also had aunts and uncles that didn't touch a drop.  It seems like in my family we're 180 degrees one way or another.

My dad had thirteen brothers and sisters...seven and seven.    He was the baby.  When he died at 56 years old, his brothers and sisters, mourned the loss of Baby Dan.

Family is so important to me.  My brothers flew from Iowa to my side when Mike died.  They got here as fast as they could.  Seeing my brothers, Jim and Dan, walk up the driveway after Mike's death, gave me strength.  I knew I could rest and they would have my back.  I can't explain the connect the three of us have....we just have it.  They would be my eyes and ears.  They would be on duty.  I am still this way with them.

When Dan (my son) was little, a teacher asked the class what they would do in case of an emergency.  His answer was simple.  "I would call my Uncle Dan and wait."  Uncle Dan was 1,000 miles away but he would have taken care of anything...my Dan knew it.

So, Mother's Day 2013 was a hoot.  Jody and Kim ( sisters-in-law extraordinaire) cooked-- ham balls, scalloped potatoes, green beans, and a chocolate brownie parfait to die for!  Mom loved it-- I loved seeing my Iowan niece and nephews....and I got to see Annie and Lucky, my brothers' dogs.  We ate, took photos, laughed and ate some more.

The big house was full of fun and laughter.  Two Erins, Raggs Weaver, Two Dans, Great Nana, and Two Jims....and if you look closely, you can see our senior pictures above all of us seated on the couch. The house is older, we might be wiser (and older),  but the talking never stopped.