I was headed to Houston last Saturday … dreading the drive, the task ahead of me, and a whole day away from my business which I really can't afford at this time … when I spotted a Panda Express. I decided to cheer myself up with an early lunch.
It was delicious, of course, but the best part was this message tucked into my fortune cookie…
Have you ever received a big hug from a friend just when you needed it? That's how I felt when I read that tiny little piece of paper.
Those words lifted me above the sadness of the task and helped me see it instead as a chance to revisit a lifetime of happy memories. The long drive, the physical labor, the sweat and tears all became acts of love, a way to give back to my parents and grandmother and siblings and children… all of us who knew the abundance of love and laughter in that house.
Words can be so powerful, can't they?
These words will ride with me again tomorrow, and the next Saturday, and the next… however many it takes to sort through sixty years … trying to decide what to keep, what to give, what to sell, and what to toss.
I'm grateful for my sister who will be beside me in the process, adding more precious memories to tuck away in my heart as we prepare to say goodbye and thank you to the humble home that sheltered our childhood.
Long Hollow 
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