comfort food and seashells.

Yesterday we ate some good old country food at a little place called Rolos. I go there once or twice a year when I really miss Grandma Stella's cooking. I fell into some sort of crisco psychosis while ordering and broke my own rule of no more than one kind of fried food on my plate. While we waited I told the kids a few grandma Stella stories. When everything arrived covered in gravy and the guilt set in...I heard her voice in my head saying "eat that fried okra, you need your veggies."

She never really bought into the healthy food phenomenon.

I loved her.

So do I miss greasy southern food or my grandma Stella?

Sometimes I think being sentimental is a curse.
It's hard to balance "living in the now" with missing a lot of things about your old life.

Lately I've really missed the beach.
I'm not a beach fanatic, but it was there anytime I wanted to go for 30 years of my life.
The other day I realized that I don't have a seashell in my possession
how could that ever be?
I remembered the glass table my Memaw had,
it was full of beautiful shells that were hard to find in one piece.
I could picture everything in that room I could even remember the smell.
I liked being in there again.
So In my mind I walked through her big white house on the ocean,
one of the few truly magical places on earth.
I visited each room
one by one,
and I missed her all over again.

So do I miss the beach or Memaw? Deep fried steak or Stella?

both. all of it.

and in some weird way it's all the same thing.

I found a quote this week that I thought it was perfect for how I've been feeling.
Today is beautiful and my heart is full.
Those days were beautiful too, and I loved my life the way it was...
that is certainly not a bad thing.
Older and wiser people tell you to appreciate things because it wont be like this forever...
I think I did.
I think I knew. always.

"Today is a smooth white seashell,

hold it close and listen to the beauty of the hours."