You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone…
Sometimes we don’t know how much we will miss something until we don’t have it. I had some friends in for the weekend who were northern transplants to our coastal area a few years ago. They hesitantly settled in a bay house never knowing how quickly they would grow to love it. They became seafood eating, kayak fishing, boggy wading, and hometown loving coastal Texans. They did not miss the snow, or the cold or the north. They were successful transplants for sure. Last year work transferred them away. They still live in Texas, but like Dorothy they have found ‘there’s no place like home….”
When they were here this week I heard them over and over again say,” Oh, I have missed this.” They ate at Cathy’s and said even ‘good’ shrimp does not taste like our shrimp. They ate at Josie’s and lamented the lack of good Josie’s Salsa in their new hometown. While wade fishing at Boggy, they oohed and aahed over sunsets that are prettier than any they have seen lately. While launching the boat for a fishing trip they both commented on the smell…the good smell.. of our water, our sand, our sea air and the combination that just feels like home to them. They were almost emotional over the sight of the porpoise frolicking in the ICW. A sight common to us was absent in their days. We caught only a small group of small fish, but they were ‘home’ fish. We ate them for dinner! The fog made the air feel ‘softer’ to them, like home. Church felt blessed to them, like home. Being greeted warmly around town felt like home.
They are happy and doing well in their new Texas town, but both expressed it still felt less comfy, less welcoming, less ‘home than being here. On their last afternoon here, we walked on the front beach and both expressed that they weren’t aware how much they loved their coastal home until they did not have it. As they waded barefoot in warm water and wiggled bare toes in the sand they talked of coming back real soon to visit all the things they did not know they would miss until they were gone. We should be thankful today for all the simple blessings we have in our everyday lives. I know I am! I am thankful for ‘home.’
