Vermont Week
2010

Twenty years ago, I visited Vermont for the first time. I met Bob’s parents and saw strength and determination in his father, love and kindness in the eyes of his mother. I saw a quirky house that had been added on to repeatedly – Vermont style. Stairs that were more like a ladder, a porch with a roll out awning to keep out the afternoon sun.


Over the years we have made it a point to re-visit Vermont. Each year it becomes more familiar, more like home. This year, however, there is a poignant tenderness in the visit. Bob’s parents are now 80. His father is in poor health, and last year, his mother was hit by a passing car while crossing the road in front of the house. For a while, wondered if she could possibly survive such an accident.

It seems as if this year, Vermont is more filled with varying shades of green. The sky is a richer shade of blue. The visiting has been more meaningful, the helping hands of Grandma much more appreciated, and the thought of leaving – very painful.

Could this be because I have lived in Utah for so many years now? Has the constant sight of brown and sage green enlivened my appreciation of the colors in the East? Could it be the passing of the years that has brought such a wonderful familiarity to the small yellow house, the porch that now sports a roof of its own, and the hammocks where they kids spend hours playing?

Or is it that I can see an end coming and feel as if I may not get this experience for very many more years. That one day there will be no reason to come to Vermont every other year. No reason to admire the rolling green hills as I drive down the freeway. No more reasons to come home.