Leaving.

A weird thing happened to me yesterday.

I came home (to Lawrenceburg) Friday night and stayed with my grandparents overnight and hung out with Nana Saturday until I had to come back to Chatt. If you don't know, my Nana is one of my absolute favorite people in this whole world. I adore the woman and I would do about anything for her. She is my role model and I hope to be half the woman she is someday. Friday night, I alternated between helping her around the kitchen and talking to Nonno (my grandfather). We chatted as she cooked supper and caught up on the things I had missed in the last month. Even though I didn't see much or do much in the brief 22 hours I was at home, I had a great time.

Nana is full of stories and I could listen to her tell them all day long. There are some I hear over and over and never tire of, and there are some that I've only heard once. She's so full of life and knowledge and never ceases to amaze me with her stories. She has no idea the impact she has on my life or that I'm tearing up writing this right now just thinking about the amazing woman she is. When I was living at home I would generally stop by her office every single day, sometimes for 5 minutes, sometimes for an hour and a half. It was rare that a day would go by and I wouldn't stop by. That was the thing I missed the most when I went off to college. In place of the frequent drop-bys I took to calling her as I walked everywhere. She is honestly the person I miss the most from home. She never stops believing in me and always has a pep talk for me if I call her when I've had a bad day or have a big test coming up. I can always call her when I need a recipe or advice on how to cook something or do something and she always helps me out.

Now back to the weird thing that happened yesterday. I've never actually been homesick. Maybe it's because I know my family is only a short call or 2.5 hour drive away. Maybe it's because I outgrew Lawrenceburg and love Chattanooga so much. I'm not sure, but for whatever reason I've never felt overwhelmingly homesick. There are times I can't wait to go back and see my family and friends, but never a real longing to be home. I usually enjoy my weekends in Lawrenceburg, but am eager to head back east; except this weekend.

This weekend as I loaded up my bags and got into my car it was different.  I wished that I could stay just one more night to catch up with some friends and have a little more time with my family. I hugged Nana and got in my car and as I looked out the windshield I saw my 5'1" grandmother that I had just spent the morning with and she broke my heart. I wanted to stay for the first time. She looked like she had tears in her eyes as she waved at me while I pulled away and so did I. For the first time ever, I cried like a baby as I drove off.