About a Place, About a Family

If I close my eyes I can smell the sweet scent of the air, at my one time home in Palm Desert, California. I've not been back since I sold my place there. It's as if my landing pad is gone, so there is no place soft to land. Now I know what a difference a place makes. It will never be the same going back and staying in a hotel.

But it's not just the place that is gone, it's the people. My how life's patterns change. I first started going to Palm Desert when my Aunt Betty and Uncle Bob retired there. Then my cousin Bruce moved there, and also my cousin Mary Kay and her husband. So, Palm Desert became a family affair. My mom and dad made regular visits and finally I decided to buy a condo in a golf community called Marrakesh. It was a home away from home, in the exotic land of desert surrounded by towering snow capped mountains. A place to relax, swim, hike and explore. A place for my dad to play golf, and for families to reunite.

Then a few years back, Aunt Betty passed away and the pattern changed. My mom would not go back. It was too heartbreaking for her to go there with her sister gone. There was a void left by this amazing woman, who always went out of her way to make you feel like you were the most special person in the whole world. Then my dad, the man who infected me with his passion for golf passed away too. The picture was fractured. The couples no more.

So, this week Uncle Bob passed away at 94, just a few short months after his last day of work at the Desert Springs Marriot. What a legacy he leaves. He was a story teller, full of laughter, wisdom and deep love and devotion to all things. I'm so grateful to have known this man. He leaves me with great memories of road runners, hummingbirds, chocolate milk shakes, and so much more. I will always cherish that evening on my terrace, as we watched the clouds evaporate as they came over the mountain tops into the dry desert air. You may be gone, but I will never forget you. Thank you Uncle Bob. And thank you Aunt Betty. You are together once again.