Today was Mom's 70th birthday and she decided she wanted to spend it in Celina, Tennessee where she was born and raised ... So, that's what we did!
There were 12 family members that went, and from the beginning, breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Nashville ... until the very end, dinner at Long Horn Steak House in Cookeville, the conversation pretty much consisted of nothing but memories. I discovered new things today, and there were other family members that learned things they never knew as well. On the way there, Judy (mom's sister), gave her a box of memories, treasures if you will, that she slowly went through during our ride to Celina. There were pictures, small hand made treasures from Mama Neely (mom's mom), and poems written by Mama Neely. One poem was written for mom on her birthday years ago, but for her to read it today ... wow! Special, sweet words from Mama Neely, blessing my mom on her special day ... no dry eyes in the van! The first place we went was where mom went to school. The old elementary school had been torn down ... all that remained was the high school that she attended. Memories flowed out of Nana as she spoke of the tree in the yard, the playground around to the side, gazing out the window at the surroundings that we actually saw with her as we turned around and she pointed things out ... coming out of these front doors ...
This was the very spot where Nana was born ... on the coldest day of the year, 15 BELOW zero! The house is gone now, but this is where it stood. And she is standing in the vicinity of where the bedroom was where she was born.
This is looking out over what "was" the backyard ... The state came through and purchased 3 acres of land from the family to put in a highway ... the memories were vibrant for Nana, but it made it more difficult for LeAnna and I to imagine. They cut into the property right beside where the house stood, and went down 80 feet to create this huge hole right in the middle of the property to make room for the new highway.
It was difficult for Nana to imagine that the very place where she ran through the backyard over to these trees was now a huge hole! However, where the tree line now begins and beyond is the remaining 62 acres left. Nana had a VERY large backyard! =0)
The family stood in a circle about where the house stood, held hands, and prayed a special birthday prayer of thanksgiving for Nana ... a very special moment.
LeAnna wanted so bad to play where Nana once played ... when we were leaving the property she told us that she had gone to the van and found a piece of paper, wrote a note on it about being at Nana's house and then went and buried it in the dirt. She made her own special memory.
We went down the "new hill" that was created and crossed over to the once attached "back yard" ... and walked out on some of the 62 acres.
We all listened as Nana told story after story of playing and working on the property.
Our next stop was down the street to Mamie's house (Nana's grandmother). This was a tree that stood beside the front of Mamie's house before it burned to the ground a few years ago. LeAnna said she wanted to "touch the tree that Nana touched so many years ago" ... she really got into this "all about Nana" day.
LeAnna was so into it that at one point she said she was sad, because she wanted to see everything just like Nana did when she was little. Here's LeAnna walking the back yard of Mamie's house. Nana told us of how she remembers stealing eggs from the chickens, taking them to the store and selling them for candy, then she would go back behind these trees and hide and eat her candy! She also remembers feeling really guilty about it, confessing it, and getting in trouble for it!
We ended the day with dinner at Long Horn Steak House in Cookeville before heading back home. It was definitely a day to remember ... and I know beyond the shadow of a doubt a day we will never forget!
Happy 70th Birthday Nana!
