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Hugs worth the wait
My wife and I had waited two years for these hugs. When we finally embraced our son and his wife, all seemed right with the world again.
We knew we were not alone. Necessary health restrictions continue to keep millions of global people apart.
So, we felt fortunate to travel from central Virginia to upstate New York finally. The scenery was magnificent. The traffic not so much.
The road to Rochester, New York, was a long and winding one. With the heatwave, it was a hot one, too.
Though the city is due north of our home in the Shenandoah Valley, there is no easy way to get there. We can thank the old, folded Appalachian Mountains for that. The lush, forested mountains contrasted with the ripening grain fields we saw.
One highway closely followed the picturesque Susquehanna River part of the way. We even passed through central Pennsylvania’s Amish country. Hand-painted signs advertising quilts and produce reminded me of our beloved Holmes County, Ohio, home to the world’s largest Amish population. It was where we raised our son and daughter.
For us, the mini-reunion was especially sweet. Unable to travel in June 2020, we had to watch our son’s street wedding on Zoom. It wasn’t what we wanted, but what we had to do.
