"Well, sort of," I answered. And then I went about the business of getting ready - which included braiding my hair.
On our way to the lavender field, we went passed "Romberg Land." This was where Mammy grew up. It was really beautiful. The houses weren't there anymore, but it made something seem real to me. All the land we were passing had once been active farms. There's so much history all around us. It reminds me that I am merely a tenant in a land that once belonged to someone and will one day belong to another. I'm happy to be a link in the chain.
The field was beautiful. It reminded me of the feeling I had about the home and land of the sisters in The Secret Life of Bees. There was even an angel in the field, much like the black Madonna in the parlor of the Boatwright home, much like the first Mary I fell in love with in the cemetery at the Painted Church in Hawaii. Those stone faces full of warmth and healing. While at the field, I learned the owner has cancer. I hope healing will come from the beauty she has chosen to surround herself with.
I drank lavender lemonade. I didn't really like the taste going down, but I loved the aftertaste, and it definitely has a calming affect. Cora loved it. She drank a cup and a half. We ate lunch in Shawnee at Benedict Street Marketplace. It is one of my favorites. I loved the food and the atmosphere.
On our way home, Cora was asleep, and I was telling Mammy how I loved her "fat little face." (Cora's face, not Mammy's). I went on to say how ironic it was because I have a serious love hate relationship with my own chubby cheeks. Mammy looked at me and said, but that's what makes you pretty." Could it be - these cheeks that hide my gorgeous cheek bones, and present a near agony when it comes to getting my hair cut a certain way could be the thing that makes me pretty? I don't know if I'm sold entirely, but I did feel proud of them when she said that.
It was a great day, one that I will never ever ever forget.
Cora in the lavender Field
A little Friend we met.
i have the same chubby cheek problems. but my husband also says they're the thing he finds the prettiest :)
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