Mary W. Mathias

A day out of time

When just being with one’s family creates special moments

One recent day, I left home in Brattleboro around 8:30 a.m. and drove north to spend the day with my son and his family. It felt lucky from the start, with sun shining and no sign of rain.

When I arrived, close to three hours later, those night owls - Dave, Heather, and home-schooled Aedan, age 10 -were getting up, making coffee, stirring about in preparation for the day. I never have to leave home at the crack of dawn to show up in time for their breakfast..

They live on a hill in Hardwick, up a steep drive, in a little yellow half of a house. The other half burned down in 1997. The house has undergone many changes over time, but that side of the family has lived there for almost 35 years.

Being there made me feel younger again - more playful and adventurous, with the sense that everything one needed was available right around. Everyone one needed to spend time with was no more than a whisper away. We had planned nothing ahead of time, other than spending the day together.

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