Sentences Together

I know I am not the only one who reads a great book alongside a vacation, and the two end up a couple forever – when I think of the book, I remember the vacation; when I reflect on the trip, I remember my reading. I just returned from a very special weekend trip, and Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence will be forever infused with this trek. On the plane ride to and from, traveling by myself, I got lost in her magical and thought-provoking story. 

My trip was a girls’ weekend, and a novel one at that. My cousin (Gem) and I traveled to Florida to visit our mothers’ last remaining sister – our dear aunt. Gem and I were close when we were teenagers; I have always adored her. We didn’t really keep close from our college years onward. Life is like that. No rhyme or reason, really. I’d say probably due to our physical distance – she lives in Massachusetts, and I am in Maryland. 

Then we dreamed up this trip. 

We had a very special travel companion, Gem’s twenty-year-old daughter (Vine). This was the first time that Vine had met a family member from this generation, since my cousin’s parents had both died before she was born. The three of us rented a car together in Tampa, and an airbnb in Ocala.  My aunt and uncle are in their 80s, and we didn’t want to totally exhaust them by staying in their home. This was such a fun setup! It was very, very special to be with my aunt, hearing and sharing stories, looking through photographs, and piecing family history. Remembering and wondering, together. In the car and back at our rental, Gem, Vine, and I were able to talk talk talk and talk some more – getting to know one another more deeply.

Let me share a few photos from our walks. It is always a thrill to see different animals and nature.

In a fun coincidence, Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence has a mother-daughter relationship woven within the plot (which involves a ghost in a bookstore). I won’t give too much away – you should read the book.  All weekend long, mothers and daughters and those who have passed were our themes, as well, with memories coming up over and over. No ghosts, though – thankfully. 

Oh – another fun thread of the book is the word ‘sentence’ and its multiple meanings, with a special emphasis on writing beautiful sentences; there’s also witty writing about new words. I dog-eared so many pages of this book, trying to hold onto passages. I just returned home from the trip, and I am still processing all that my loved ones did and discussed – sentences keep popping up in my mind, special things we shared aloud with one another. How to hold onto all this? 

Yes, it was emotional – in good, rich ways. So wonderful! Gem and I will not let so much time go by without getting together again. In fact, we have vowed to write letters to one another – to continue to build our close friendship (cousin-ship?).

A great weekend – with a great book, as well. 

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