Family...........

I went home and got to see my family this past weekend. It was a weekend of memories and confirmation. I slept in the bed in my parents house that I slept in as a teenager. This bed has always been known as the BIG bed in my family. It is in fact only a standard bed, however it sits fairly high off of the ground almost to my waist and always has. The other reason for the name is that it has a very high headboard almost to the ceiling. It has been in my family for a little over 100 years. Now that you have all this knowledge you should also know that I sleep better in this bed that in any other place. It's mattresses are who knows how old and just let you snuggle in and the smell of the old wood is soothing to me. All that to say I slept really well while I was Home.

My reason for going Home was to be a part of a family tradition that I have not been able to go to in years. My maternal grandparents live in what we call "the country." They own 200 acres of land close to Ft. Walton Beach ,FL. It is the country with a pecan orchard , a pine tree farm, 2 creeks, huntin dogs, a lazy cat, cousins, aunts, uncles, dusty dirt roads, roses, vegetables, grape vines, grandparents, and a million memories that this time of year center around sugar cane.

Every year around this time the sugar cane crop is harvested to make cane syrup. My grandparents and uncles do the harvesting and syrup making. The cane is cut which makes everything and everywhere smell sweet. It's loaded in a truck and brought behind the house to the grinder or press. The grinder/press squishes the cane stalk and squeezes the juice out. The old stalks are piled for replanting later. The juice goes into 1 of 2 covered pans to be strained from here it is taken to the pan. This is a homemade large rectangle pan set in a red brick oven of sorts. The oven is wood heated and the juice is stirred with special long handled wooden spoons. All of these implements have been passed down just like the bed. The excess foam and cane stalk leftovers are removed while the color and consistency of the syrup is continually checked . When the syrup gets to the right color and thickness it is drained a bucket at a time in to another pan. It is strained again and canned in a jar.

I grew up eating this syrup. It is very dark brown and nothing in the world equals it's strong sweet taste. The pictures of this day and others just like them are set in my mind and spirit. Sweet smell, and colors of cane juice and syrup and mustard bar-b-q chicken that is also only made this time of year. My family laughing and smiling and hugging and welcoming the new babies and just enjoying each other. The metal clanking of the grinder mixed with the hum of a thousand bees eating the sugar from the left over cane and my dad whistling to a song that he likes or just to the work he's doing.

I love my family so much, and wish I could take everyone I know to experience this part of my life. As hard as it is to be away from these moments, more i am thankful that GOD, the lover of my soul, is creating a new family for me here. I praise HIM because soon I will be able to write about the memories and family that are a part of me here.