N is for: New England

I was born in Massachusetts. Four of my five sisters live in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, as do countless relatives. I go back as often as I can, because I'm not completely me unless I'm in that environment. My family has instructions to divide my ashes when the time comes: half here in Colorado, half there in New England, off the coast into the sea. I'll be going for a visit this month, traveling on Easter Day. I'm badly in need of sister time.

An ideal trip to NE for me includes spending time in New Hampshire where two of my sisters and my niece live within minutes of each other. I have my own room in one of their homes. There will be horses, chickens, goats, dogs, and cats and beautiful country, lush with trees, to enjoy. Then it's to a world connected by buses and subways to Boston to savor museums and the spicy flavor of city life. If I'm able, I transport myself down to stay with my cousin on Cape Cod to the tranquility of sea and sand.

My roots are deep here in Colorado, but part of my soul waits for me there.