I decided to go home for Thanksgiving a few years ago because my grandmother kept asking. She was borderline begging, something I believed was completely unnecessary, but I get it now. She and I have been talking a lot lately, mainly because when she calls my mom I just so happen to be around to answer the phone. We sometimes speak thirty minutes sometimes an hour or more. My mind was made up though, I wasn't going. There is just so much going on, so many things unsettled that the last thing I had time for was to go home and do nothing. I'd even told my boss once I decided to go that I could work from there. I did everything I could to avoid making this a real vacation. But I booked my flight and headed back to the small town where I was born and spent at least a week two times a year while growing up. You see, from the age of four up to now I've lived in Los Angeles, but it's never been home. My homes are Decatur, IL where my mama gave birth to me, and Johnstown, P...
"Tell Lana not to bring her ass into town again and not come by to see me!" My dad on the left and my uncle on the right You said those words to my father. I'd never come home and not laid eyes on you. 2015 was the first time for us. You said you were coming to me and I waited, and when you didn't show, I figured I'd just see you the next day. I still had three days left in the town I call home. Where the people who hold my heart stay. I thought we had time. But you didn't show up and I didn't try to find you, I thought you were busy with other family members or maybe you were tired. I didn't want to be the one to disturb your rest. This illness hasn't been easy on you, I wanted you to have peace, if only for a few hours. My thought was, I'd always be able to come back and see you. I'm returning this year. I told my mom to tell you that I wanted to see your face in November. You told her you'd be there. Now, I'm not so sur...