Ate my breakfast at the table this morning with my grandchildren. Had a delicious cup of coffee in a Starbucks mug. Those are heavy cups. Dropped my South Carolina mug on my foot the other day. Hurt so bad! Wanted to cry but when you are grown it’s “suck it up buttercup.” So glad the mug didn’t break. Drank from a California mug this morning. Sausage balls and a caffe latte are so delicious.

Did a little traveling today. Saw the Atlanta airport, a little of Georgia Tech, the Georgia state capital, and some beautiful high rise office buildings out the car window. Went shopping in the Lenox Square Mall. Lots of memories came flooding back as I watched Atlanta scenes go by. The traffic was pretty intense. Don’t think I could function in the big city world. I love my small town life in Roanoke.

We always shopped for school clothes in Atlanta when I was little. When my brothers and I were outfitted for school, we all got a dozen pencils with our name stamped on them. I think this was in Rich’s department store. Once we lost baby brother in Rich’s. He was just sitting hidden under a wrack of clothes. A security guard found him. Mama about had a stroke before he was found.

We always ate supper at Morrison’s Cafeteria on the way home from Atlanta. Daddy loved Morrison’s and would load all our trays with different things he wanted to try. We looked like pigs our trays would be so full. Baby brother and I couldn’t even carry our trays. On the way home my baby brother and I would squabble over who got to lie down on the space under the back windshield. No seatbelts for us…and sometimes one of us would lie on the floorboard of the back seat.

When we got back to Roanoke Mama would call my grandmother Big Ma to come upstairs to see our new school clothes. I can still see my little plaid dresses with Peter Pan collars arranged on the dining room table for Big Ma to see. My brothers would have a pile of blue jeans and plaid shirts. Course there was new underwear and socks and shoes. Daddy had sold a few cows to cover the expenses.

Walking around in the Lenox Mall brought back memories of my last trip there with Mama and Daddy. I had graduated from Wesleyan the year before and was living downstairs in my grandmother’s apartment and working at the Roanoke Leader newspaper. I think it was 1979. Daddy took me and Mama Christmas shopping in Lenox Square. We shopped at Neiman Marcus. He bought me the most beautiful collection of Christopher Radko ornaments for my Christmas tree. The topper for the tree was gorgeous. Then he and Mama picked out matching dresses for my little nieces.

Course we ate at Morrison’s on the way home and yes he loaded all our trays up. He missed the interstate exit on the way home and we circled the city twice before he found the correct exit. The second Christmas I decorated my Christmas tree with these ornaments the tree fell over and hit the marble hearth. Most of the ornaments were broken. Broke my heart.

Chief always said the beauty of traveling is in the journey. He loved all our trips to Augusta to visit the grandchildren. He always said he was, “Journey proud.” Traveling doesn’t have to involve lots of miles and lots of money. Sometimes just a quick weekend visit with family and friends can give us a relaxing break from the hustle and bustle of life. Our daily routines and our busy lives’ responsibilities can wear us down. Travel is the best stress buster. Travel helps you disconnect and recharge.

Traveling with children gives us new stories to laugh about at the dinner table and countless cherished memories to pass along. Traveling with children helps them become smart and independent. Children are exposed to new experiences and different ways of life when traveling.

Travel broadens our horizons and helps us focus on what really matters. And traveling just makes us happy.

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us,” — Anonymous