Royal Homecoming

This spacious  house, successively owned by three different siblings, which we called home for nearly nine years, will soon be sold to someone outside the family.  Consequently,, I had a strong desire to visit it this past Labor Day weekend for what will most likely be the last time.  Pardon the phrase, but we were treated like royalty in Royal City!  Iris made us feel very comfortable in our old home, and it was nice to know my way around.  Rick and JoLyn invited all of the Washburn relatives for a barbecue on Saturday night in their creatively landscaped badkyard.  We enjoyed the company of Ethan and Missy’s family, Iris with her sons, Matthew and Michael, and of course that of our hosts, Rick and JoLyn.

JoLyn's Fairy Garden

Looking for Pixies

Rick, Iris & Mathew

Which way should I go?

 After we left the barbecue, the flood of emotion that greeted me upon entering our old house was completely unexpected.  The first night and morning of our stay, our family’s collective past sorrows and regrets were uppermost in my heart and mind.  It seemd to me that some of our sons had been happy in this home, and others probably had not.  I thought of things I wish I had known, and things I wish I’d handled differently during those busy, growing times that can never return.  I snuggled up to the big old walnut tree that Dan’s brother Alan planted so many years ago, which we learned was one of Jordan’s favorite spots there, and I just cried all those sad memories away.  From then on, everything was bliss.

Dear friends made me feel so welcome and loved at church the next morning.  I surprised myself by recalling some of their phone numbers that I hadn’t thought of in over a dozen years.  Shane is going to Peru this fall.  It was good to find out that Ted and Jean have a daughter and son-in-law serving a mission there, so they said I could call them for their contact information in case Shane should have need of it.   The Sunday School class was well taught  by a young man I’d taught when he was a teenager.  I had to laugh when he bore his testimony in sacrament meeting, saying, “And Sister Washburn, in case my voice has lost some hair, or gained a few pounds, this is Chad Bergeson.”  Attending my old wonderful ward, and greeting so many friends once more, is an experience I will always treasure.

 After church, The Farrers invited us yet again to their home, where we enjoyed a brunch of their famous crepes with a variety of toppings, and lots of bacon! JoLyn also made one of Dan’s mom’s favorite breakfast dishes, eggs goldenrod.  Mmm mmm, happy!

We visited Dan’s sister, Janet, and her husband, Don, the next morning in Moses Lake.  Janet loves critters, and showed off all her chickens, guineas, dogs, and alpacas to us.

Janet's Alpacas

Janet's Guineas

Then we had a nice visit in Othello for a couple of hours, at Ethan’s and Missy’s home.  Every moment spent with our grandchildren is a precious one, because of how much we love, care, and pray for them..  They warm our hearts, and make us laugh, too.  Zaid rattled off a long string of “dadadadadadaddada’s” when we were all at the Farrer’s barbecue and Rick was doing a little juggling.  I finally asked Missy what he was saying.  It was meant to be the familiar melody generally recognized as circus music.  I’m still chuckling over that one.

Zaid

Our last hurrah of the weekend was to meet up with Ethan’s family, Iris and Matthew, and Ric and JoLyn to take in a movie, Ephraim’s Rescue, in TriCities.  And thus ended our greatly enjoyed visit.  Thank you, Royal City area friends and family.  Live long and prosper.