Wave Me At The Street!!

Several years ago, when my oldest grandson, Ben, was very attached to his Papa and me, he would get upset when it was time for him to leave our house to go home.  He would get put into his parent's car screaming and crying.  After he was secured into his car seat, and I had given him hugs and kisses & assured him that I would see him the next day, he would sniffle and say, "GrandMartha, wave me at the street."  I would stand in the driveway and wave to him until his little face in the car window had disappeared down the street.   I guess in his mind, it prolonged his face-to-face time with me just as long as possible.  As he repeated that request, "Wave me at the street" time and time again, it became a sort of ritual.  

Over the next few years, as Ben has grown to a great big boy of now six years old, he no longer (or least very rarely) gets upset when it's time to leave our house.  But our ritual has remained.  Ben's little brother, Will, picked up on the phrase pretty quickly when he started talking.  So when it's time to leave, both boys have to say, "Wave me at the street!"  And it not only is mandatory when they leave our house, it has become a routine if others are leaving our house, or when Papa and I leave their house.  Someone from one of the families will say, "Wave me at the street."  When our twin granddaughters, Ben and Will's cousins Carolann and Adeline, have been over for a visit and it's time for them to go, the boys will tell the girls, "Wave me at the street!"  And the girls happily comply, putting down their car windows to giggle and wave and call out goodbyes.  

In a few days, Terry will be officially retired from full-time ministry.  We have been packing up the parsonage for the move.  It's been both physically and emotionally tiring.  We've been building a new house & have gone through all the decision-making and setbacks that can be part of that process. We've also been trying to decide what to do with all the books that he's used during over 20 years of ministry, and what to do with all the odds and ends of furniture that we've acquired over the years of living in various parsonages that won't fit in our new smaller home.  We are both very eager to have this physical part of the move behind us.  

The emotional part of our transition will not be any easier than the physical toil of our move. Saying goodbye to a church family and friends that we love is going to be quite difficult.  It's begun already, as I've  felt little pangs of sadness & find myself fighting the tears as I look out at the congregation from the choir loft & see faces of wonderful friends.  

But we won't be leaving Shreveport.  We're not moving a long distance away.  And we're sure to see and to hear from our church friends fairly often, even if it's just running into one another at Kroger or Target.   So when it's time to officially say goodbye on June 23, we won't have the feelings that Ben used to have when he was so small that he would miss us terribly and cry out to us so sadly.  So if on Sunday you don't want to say goodbye (I know I don't!) join with us in our new family ritual of reassurance that we love each other and we'll be seeing each other again very soon: 

 "Wave me at the street!"

Requiem for Norton

Requiem for Norton

R.W. Norton Art Gallery

The lead story on yesterday's local news was one that really made an impact on me.  They were reporting that the Norton Art Gallery of Shreveport has posted new rules for photography.  Effective immediately there will no longer be any professional photography allowed on their grounds.  My first thought was to wonder what had happened that would have caused them to make that decision.  My second thought was to be relieved that this new ruling would not affect me.  I do take a lot of photographs, but I’m an amateur who just shoots pictures of family members.  But when I went to the Norton website to read the new rules for myself, I quickly realized that the rules would affect me, too.  As soon as a new fence that is being built is complete, there will no longer be any photography allowed at all at their grounds. 

Ben's first family portrait at Norton in 2007

I started feeling so sad.  Some people have commented on Facebook that taking pictures at Norton, especially during azalea season, has become such a tradition.  And it has.  That is so true for our family.  As I sit typing this in my living room, I can count twelve (really twelve!) framed portraits that have all been taken at the Norton Art Gallery over just the past 5 years.  A couple of them were taken by professionals that the kids have given to us.  But most of them are pictures that I’ve taken of my grandchildren, and each one brings back a memory of a time spent with them out in the gardens, enjoying the beauty of nature and each other’s company, as we recorded our memories.  There are pictures of Ben and Will this last fall in front of a beautiful red-leaved tree, and pictures of Carolann and Adeline last summer when the hydrangeas were in full bloom.  

Adeline & Carolann at Norton Summer 2012

There’s a sweet snapshot of the boys about two years ago that I took when I sneaked them out to the Norton to take a picture to give to Molly as a Mother’s Day surprise.  Possibly my favorite (if it’s possible to pick from among all these!) is a portrait I took of Ben in front of the azaleas when he was about 10 months old, sitting in a white wicker rocker.  It was printed beautifully on canvas by Dee’s Photo… a picture printed by a Shreveport photo lab that no longer exists of a location that Shreveporters will soon no longer be able to photograph. (Sigh.)

Ben's first Easter portrait 2008

Oh, I know I’ll keep taking pictures of our kids and grandkids, in our backyards, at the pumpkin patch in the fall, at the lake or the beach in summertime or around the Christmas tree.  But I guess those beautiful portraits in front of Norton’s azaleas, hydrangeas & water features will sadly no longer be part of our family’s traditions. 

My parents with grandsons Jack & Finn
2011

I have read that Norton's owners made their decision due to the fact that some people who have gone there to take pictures have been destructive (as in spray painting on a building) or at least negligent in leaving messes on the property.  It really is a shame if that’s the case.   That’s the way it is so often…that a few bad apples ruin a good thing for everyone.  

Maybe the decision to not allow even amateur family photographs at Norton will be reconsidered by the owners.  I hope that's the case.  I so want to keep creating memories like these in this beautiful location for years to come.  

Ben & Will Easter 2012