If the world had a front porch....

"The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word, then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation that you ever had." author unknown

A large front porch is attached to the home of two of my favorite people.  It is big enough for swings, chairs, toys, cats, plants, bird-feeders and visitors like me.  I have been blessed to be a visitor of Sue-Sue's and Shari's on several occasions since my daughter married their son and grandson eight years ago tomorrow.  Each time my suitcase and I enter their home I am greeted with a warm, heartfelt welcome that stepping onto the front porch just seems to put an exclamation mark on, Welcome! 

A cat is usually sleeping on the floor while a soft shaded breeze whispers and birds chirp and sing.  I'm always drawn to just scan the country-side for a few minutes as the cow's graze in the "holler" beyond the flower garden which is wildly beautiful, with flowers blooming and vines twisting and toppling over the large stone path.  Not manicured, contained and boring.  An old rusty watering can that belonged to Sue-Sue's mother has been recycled and a constant stream of water pours from it into a small pond that Shari dug herself; the sound is very relaxing. Slate rocks surround the little pond and were found on the land that Sue-Sue's family homesteaded in the late 1800's and where the house, built in 1990, stands today.

Shari and Sue-Sue enjoy having their coffee on the porch every morning, and I am blessed to join them.  We talk about our grandchildren, mostly, three of whom we share.  We usually have too much catching up to do to sit quietly, but our conversations are some of my most memorable. Life just seems to slow down enough to be thoroughly enjoyable as we gently swing and talk on the porch and I love that!