The Visit

Several weeks back I had received a phone call from my cousin in Florida.... since we do talk often, I considered it a routine visit, and time to catch up. The real surprise was that she was coming up to Atlanta. Since we are closer than two peas in a pod... I could think of no better "spirit raiser" than a visit from one of my favorite people in the whole world.

But then there was so much to do first. The house had to be cleaned (and I mean seriously cleaned!), banana bread had to be baked, and the gardens had to be freshened. After all I have this impossible reputation that had to be upheld, and even though I'm over the hill... some things never fade in my family.
But then she wasn't just coming to my house, she was coming to my "home", and I wanted everything to look clean, shiny and most welcome. Traveling with her was her husband.... a funny, interesting and informed person, and teenage daughter..... a lovely girl and sweetest person you'd ever want to meet. Needless to say it was a wonderful three days....and just what the doctor ordered for my sagging and depleted spirits!

On Saturday I had to work a catering.... and they decided to tour the new Atlanta Aquarium that just opened up this past week, as well as many sights in the city, meeting up later that afternoon for a big turkey dinner. Off they went to venture in the big city, which deserves accolades for them just wanting to make the attempt. Atlanta is not an easy city to navigate most times.... and I've been here for many years, so I gave them my "drive safely" prayers and told them to have a wonderful time. The line to the Aquarium was wrapped around the building three times...and they decided to catch it on their next visit. Instead they ventured into the heart of the city, parked their car and set off on foot. At this point in the excursion, I had called to ask her if she had gotten into the "$200 million fish tank" (no kidding!), and she explained the situation to me.

Her next statement was, "where are the bullet elevators?". Bullet elevators are the ones that go on the outside of the Westin/ Peachtree hotel, being a great thrill to ride one of these. As you descend up 76 floors, you have this wonderful vista of Atlanta in front of you... and on a clear day you can see all the way to Stone Mountain. (We don't even know if the are called "bullet elevators"... someone nicknamed them in our family because of their shape, and the name has stuck ever since). For $5.00, you can ride up to the top where there is this fabulous restaurant and lounge that revolves around so that you can see the whole city just sitting in your chair. I was pretty impressed the first time I went there, and was glad it had the same effect on them.
After wandering around, they came to Underground Atlanta, which was another "site" on their list of places to go. Again, they were not disappointed.
The only little problem they encountered was that they did get "booted" at their parking spot. Good little campers that they were, they took posed pictures that they could laugh at in the years to come, paid their $50.00 fine and went on their way.

We celebrated the visit Saturday night with a big turkey dinner, and much laughter around the table.... and knowing that prayers were answered because we were all together enjoying a magical moment. Perfect is not a word we are able to throw around a lot, given circumstances we face in life everyday... but it is the epitome of how Thanksgiving was for me.... even if it happened two days after the actual event. I came to realize that it was the time together, no matter the day, and being with someone on my side of the family was the true "thanksgiving" I had been missing for years.
My cousin has always been the little sister I never had, and although we are eight years apart, we are closer by our bonds of love for one another. I was the person she always came to for advise, and she was the person I turned to for words of comfort when the world was falling down, and my wonderful Aunt (her Mother) was currently unavailable. She is family, and knows my life because it is so well interwoven with hers. There is something to be said about life.... it is not how well you've loved, but how well you've been loved. Sometimes I feel that my cup runneth over.......