In the summer of 1966 my parents were married and they jumped into their car and drove straight through from Wisconsin to Arizona. They cruised into town after dark on Sunday night, because my dad had to start summer classes at ASU Monday morning. According to the story, the temperature was over 100 degrees and I think it was after midnight. Well, at that moment my mom was hooked. My dad finished classes and they returned to WI and got jobs, raised their family, and my mom dreamed of AZ. She is totally a hot weather, beach, swimming girl. She lived in WI, and even spent a year in even colder Minnesota, until God saw fit to return her to her dream place 19 years later. My family packed up and we drove straight through from WI to AZ, this time for ME to begin summer classes at ASU.
My family spent the rest of their years together in AZ; my three siblings graduated from HS in AZ and my brother still lives there. Since my parents' divorce, my mom has continued to maintain a home there, splitting time between there and WI. That all ended this week as my mom sold her home. I spent the past week helping her sort through her belongings: piles of pictures, wedding gifts well-used but their meaning now so muddled, duplicate household items to be distributed to children or discarded, and all covered in tears for hopes and dreams that will never be realized.
Over the next few days I will reconstruct our week in Phoenix. It was a VERY full week, with lots of highs and lows. We did lots of sorting and packing, but there was also time for swimming, visits with friends and family, and long walks. There were some LONG nights, and some short ones too. And even a trip to the urgent care clinic!
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