ELDERS

It was good to see them together. Brothers-in-law. The two eldest men in my family. My Dad and my late mother's only surviving sibling. Louisiana men. Veterans. Fathers. Grandfathers. Great-grandfathers. Hard-working, principled, God-fearing, witty, honest, responsible men.
Fascinated by the technology of my phone, my uncle showed me on a map application how, if you stayed on the River Road, you could travel all the way from New Orleans to Plaquemine. They knew every little town on the way, and were calling them out in unison. They'd been there and had stories. "Don't lose that blue now. Stay on the river. Stay by the water..." 

For both of them, Louisiana is home and they are walking civil rights, military, ancestral, economic, political, religious, and social history.

They talked about Clark Gable and Yvonne DiCarlo coming to Addis to film "Band of Angels". They talked about God, and politics and children, random body aches, fishing, food, and their friends and relatives long gone. They enjoyed homemade sweet potato pie while talking about how grateful they were to even still be here.

It was nice to just be in the room with them, and experience the wisdom, laughter, and love.

My aunt and uncle left for home this evening.

I'm so glad we all had a day to just sit and enjoy each other's company. The older everyone gets, the rarer those days are. 

I'm glad a caught a little of their conversation. Click on the top photograph to listen.