Today we are leaving this mountain, and I do not want to leave.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m ready to be home.
Ready for cell service and a birthday call to our daughter.
Ready for two more months of Iowa sweet corn.
Ready for a consistent, daily routine.
Ready for a quiet house.
Ready to dig into the writing of my new book.
Ready to see the midwestern family contingent again.
Ready for lunch with friends.
Ready to return to every day life.
But once we leave here, July of 2011 seems so far away.
Far from youngsters who will be another year older before we gather again.
Far from Idaho’s cool July nights and sunny days.
Far from a breakfast of huckleberry pancakes in the shadow of Huckleberry Mountain.
Far from Hammock Haven.
Far from
morning devotions in the pavilion,
afternoon games in the pavilion,
evening dances in the pavilion.
Far from family in
Ohio,
Korea,
Siberia,
Idaho,
South Dakota,
Colorado,
British Columbia,
Kansas,
Iowa,
Georgia.
Ready to be home.
Too far away.
Time for huckleberry tears, tart and sweet.
Time to say good-bye.
