Back Porch Sittin'

As I type that title the Alan Jackson song is running through my brain..."where I come from a lot of front porch sittin'...working hard to make a livin'...where I come from". Only in my case I'm thinking about back porch sittin'. Mostly because that is exactly what mom and I did last night.

When I was a kid my parents would retreat to the back porch in the summer after we were in bed. I think it was a relief to finally have a quiet house. It was this mysterious thing for adults and I couldn't wait to get old enough to stay up and drink tea on the patio. And then there was the "summer of chicken sandwiches" with my dad. Ah, such fond memories.

Summer nights in Montana are hard to beat and last night was no exception. Still light at 9:30 and the temperature was perfect. But instead of tea, we had a.....can you guess? A hot-n-tot! Sorry Lindsay!!! I called my mom about 5:30 to see what she was doing and then told her I'd be by about 8 with diet hot-n-tots in tow. We just sat and talked, sipped our soda, and soaked in the beauty around us.

I'll never get used to the fact that dad isn't there. I subconsciously wait for him to come out the door or to hear him working in the garage. Obviously I know it's not going to happen but I can hear all the sounds and if I dig back far enough, I can even smell the oil in the garage.

And in the meantime, I will enjoy every second with my momma, never taking for granted that she is still with us. May she feel this way about me:

May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice! ~ Proverbs 23:25