Expressions, the House, a Driveway and the Long Lost Blog Post

Expressions, the house, a driveway and the long lost blog post, I do confess it is time, and the count starts at week 1

Blog
My first blog post in a couple of months comes thanks to Julia. You see while taking a break from all the mad work that has been going on here at home, I was checking email on my computer. Julia, the ever-concerned “old soul” leans over my shoulder and says “I know you have been busy Daddy, but I really think you should write your blog today.” After a hiccup pause I ask: “What is it that you think I should write about Julia?” “Well you can tell people, we are going on a cruise, and that my birthday is in a couple of weeks and don’t forget we now have a pool”. OK, Julia here it goes…

Expressions
I laughed the other week, when I read a couple of students’ Facebook exchanges regarding their summer vacations, and talking about the impending return to school. They used the expression “I miss your face.” and it made me think about things that people say these days. I had never heard of this one before and it made me wonder, can you miss someone’s face? I mean you can miss a smile, or someone’s eyes, but the whole face? Well, to each there own I guess, be it a feature on the body, part or the face or the whole head area, miss away.

Driveway
(Note: I wrote this in July)
On a summer day, two kids play alone outside, while a third watches from a distance. The boy and girl, visiting family for the weekend have seen the other little girl before, but never talked to her. She lives in the house beside the one occupied by their grandmother. The two houses connected by a long driveway, and on this summer day, the little girl dares her older brother to go ask the other little girl if she would like to play. This simple gesture would be the beginning of a friendship that would last a lifetime. Jump forward 5 years, to the same driveway, connecting the same two houses, one with a new owner, while two kids play in the driveway, another little girl approaches, and asks if they want to play with her. These kids are older then the first set, but another lifelong relationship again begins on the narrow driveway on Yardley Avenue.

I forgot all about this, until the surprise 25th Wedding Anniversary party for my sister Debbie and her husband Guy. I was talking with my sister’s best friend Robyn, who was the one, some 35 years ago, who convinced her brother to go ask the little girl (Debbie) if she wanted to play. It was after that story, that I realized the driveway connection. You see, after Robyn’s grandmother had passed, Bob bought the house and one summer day, a couple of years after the purchase, my twin sister and I met his daughter Pat, who was visiting one afternoon. Pat is to this day, still a cherished friend. One driveway on a street in East York, and two lifelong friends created out of a simple “do you want to play” gesture.

House
I mentioned earlier that we have been a little busy around here over the last couple of months and that was the main reason I have not posted a blog. We decided to start now on the backyard work that we HAD planed to do sometime next year. Top that off with the addition of a pool that we had also planned to add to our backyard in the next couple of years and it has been a bit of a whirlwind. The joy will be in sitting by the pool with a cold drink in my hand over the next few weeks, and watching the kids splash around and listening to their wet, water giggles.

In closing
When I had to do some running around to do today, I offered to take anyone with me that wanted to go. Surprisingly, the one we call number one said, “Let me get my purse,” and I smiled a happy smile. Aside from the normal punch buggy spotting game we play in the car, we sang to the radio loud, and played air instruments (safely never to the detriment of driving) and we had a nice conversation about life. I was on the edge of my seat, when after a long pause; Jordyn said “I have a good question for you”. I turned the radio down, in an attempt to give my full attention to my oldest daughter and she said, “OK, if the whole world was broken up into two parts, and one was the good side, and one was the bad side, what side would you want to be on?” Not knowing if it was a trick question, I waited to answer and then she jumped in with her answer “I know I would want to be on the good side for sure, Daddy!” Well you are Jordyn, for sure you are!

Thanks for reading and have a great and safe week!
Jim