Summer still sizzles here in New Orleans, but there’s a breeze coming in off Lake Pontchartrain making the air less stifling. School is back in session and families gather over cereal bowls in the morning before rushing off to work and school. “Busy” doesn’t seem to justify how hectic life is again. Where are my afternoons by the pool and evenings by the grill?
I mean, I get it. I was in school once too and now I work full time. They make you go day after day with not enough three-day weekends. Christmas isn’t for another 119 days. Your time is taken. Hanging out with us is probably the last thing on your mind.
Honestly, I miss you. We miss you. We miss you a lot.
But we still care about you. We feel your laughter reverberate through the lounge. We hear your faint chewing as you dig into fresh french bread and tear into your second bowl of red beans and rice. We listen to your prayers sing off the bunks like a symphony lifting off the strings of a cello.
And we hope you still care about us too. As we patiently (tearfully) and eagerly (dancing with excitement) await your return this winter, spring, and then summer again, we hope you remember us.
We hope you remember that we’re building a new kitchen (for you).
And we’re creating new t-shirts (for you).
And we’re putting together a cookbook (for you!).
We just…We just can’t imagine life here with you. You’re too special. Too wonderful. There’s no one in this world quite like you.
So, we’ll continue to sit at our desks and cry pray that you’ll come visit us again.
–Alyssa
