You can always come home…
So here I am in Ottawa, working on the lappy, trying to keep up with a puppy who is loving his new-found freedom and is constantly disappearing into one room or another (luckily his new tags jingle so he can’t hide for very long). When we moved to Canada in the summer of ’98 I went straight to Montreal and my parents and brother had a house in Kanata (Ottawa); when my bro moved out they also moved to a new house in Embrun. Even though my parents’ last two houses weren’t “my” house, it was the people – my mom, dad and brother – who made wherever they were a home. There was still those familiar voices and the same wonderful laughter, and the same amazing smells when dad was making breakfast or mom had a pot of spaghetti sauce on. I could always find my Nanny’s brown and white comforter tucked away in a closet, and our VHS tape of The Princess Bride will forever be in the big heavy teak drawer of the wall unit.
When I first left Florida, where I grew up and truly considered home, I found adjusting to my new life and surroundings in Montreal really challenging. I felt lost without my pink stucco Boca house, but with time, I quickly learned that you can always come home, as long as you’re surrounded by the people you love most in the world. It’s not about the colour on the walls or the wood floors underfoot instead of the cool ceramic tile of our Florida kitchen… it’s about having the comfortable familiarity of a dad who whistles while he’s cooking or a mom who strokes my hair in her lap and a brother whose contagious chuckle can be heard from any room in the house.
And, just as a quick side note, today is my mommy’s birthday… a mom who is a best friend, who taught me to cook and was my study buddy (right through till university) and always made me feel safe and warm and loved beyond belief. HAPPY BIRFDAY MOM! Love you xxoo
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Joanne Conry Said:
on April 4, 2011 at 5:24 pm
Beautifully said Jen. Have a wonderful time and give your Mom a birthday hug from me.
wordaddict Said:
on April 4, 2011 at 5:37 pm
thanks jo! xxoo and i will!
mom Said:
on April 5, 2011 at 8:38 am
Thanks Jen – and just a footnote – I remember the day you “officially” moved out and I stood with Ann and watched the Greyhound bus pull out of the station while looking at your face in the window, tears streaming down my cheeks. I remember Ann saying “For heaven’s sakes , we’re in Ottawa and she’s only moving to Montreal, not the moon!” Well, it seemed like the moon at the time, but every time you come home, you make our family complete again. And we’re so glad that even though you’re grown and married, home is still home – love you so so so much!
wordaddict Said:
on April 5, 2011 at 3:33 pm
awww i remember that day too… but home is home when you have an amazing fam right?
love YOU too xxoo
kim Said:
on April 8, 2011 at 12:30 pm
I’m a little late, but Happy Birthday to your mommy, Jenn!! You’re lucky to have such a strong, caring and loving mother.
wordaddict Said:
on April 8, 2011 at 12:36 pm
yes i am! thank you kim!!