When Gran and Grandaddy started to age more rapidly, I thought they would retire to the Coast since my Uncle Jon and Aunt Susan and most of their kids lived there. I thought they would enjoy being surrounded by grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I thought the easy clime would be especially welcome, given Gran's knee replacements. So I was bewildered when they chose to move back Clarksdale, 6 hours north yet decades behind.
The Delta has spawned many a great poet and plenty of beauty queens. Deltans have fostered fantastic food and have an innate sense of style. However, Clarksdale's days of glory have long since passed. There are faded reminders in the crippled downtown; shops shuttered and streets abandoned. I couldn't imagine why my grandparents would leave family for this backward burg.
My family of 4 lives in respectable home in a small community. The house is "cozy" and the address is in the less illustrious south side of Arlington, not the pedigreed North. Truth be told, I rather loathe the house. It is a 1950s ranch with all the charm of a block of wood. We have painted and papered and even added on but the house remains a ranch.
So why am I about to embark on a rather pricey endeavor and add yet it again to this less-than-dream home? For the same reason my grandparents moved back to Clarksdale; we have found our niche.
Our friends come from varied backgrounds and strata. Some are athletic, some are artistic, some are complex and some are carefree. All have children who fall somewhere in ages between my own. People frequently ask me if I wish to return to the small southern town in which I grew up and where my mother still resides. I have no intention of doing so. It is a charming, cerebral little town with much to offer... but I have been there. In my own little village of Barcroft, I have carefully cultivated a group of friends whom I cherish. We have shared births and deaths, weddings and divorce. We have cooked for each other and tended children and cheered our athletes in their races. In our most trying times, as struggling parents, we have bolstered one another and turned the time into one to be cherished. I feel understood and appreciated.
It is a gentle community, one of sweet families and happy memories. My house, though humble in origin, has given rise to many a great occasion. I could love another house more but without the close camaraderie of my neighborhood friends, the beauty would lose its luster.
2 comments:
We are Barcroft! I often say... even if I had money to have a better house... I couldn't find a better place.
I admire your little niche in Barcroft and think about you and your friends who started the little play group way back when. Since we now have 15 kids under the age of 5 on our street, I only hope I can have gain the friends and support network that you have in your neighborhood.
Despite the age of your home (I think ours is just as old), you make everyone feel welcome and comfortable. I only hope I make my friends feel as welcome in our home.
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