My darling, St. Louis sparked joy. There was a moment, under the Arch along the Mississippi, when I was chasing my nephew that I realized this is what life is all about; when I wrapped my arms around him, something unlocked inside of me.
I could feel him wanting to feel my love – to know that I loved him – and what an honor, to give it in hugs and squeezes, tickles and laughs. To say out loud, I love you! and watch his face light up.
As the Gateway to the West, the Lou is a starting point as much as it is a place to leave things behind. Take with you only what the wagon will carry. It is where loved ones gathered before departing ways, and there was something sweet to be savored in the time together, but it wasn’t heavy.
It was lightness, lifting spirits, putting a bounce in our collective steps; a spring and a hop, like an Easter bunny. It was time to rise, after all, and being an auntie reminded me in the subtlest ways how much I want to be a mother; how much love there is to give; how much life there is to live.
St. Louis is a city that contained everything – everything – and offered the rare kindness of not making you look for it, but rather, if you made the journey, would simply meet you.
Inspired Scribble 