Written in a Past Memory. Mama Meice's Tribute

OK kids..... another writing assignment gone a rye in class. Here it goes.
It's rough but the assignment was to write about your favorite place, the 5 senses, what it doesn't have, what you have heard about it, what you thought about it yourself, walking away from it forever...... stuff like that.... so here it goes for ya'll.

Bear Lake - My retreat, My home
Orange and yellow colors crash together and as I sit and ponder,I smell the strong fragrances of freshly cut grass, the marsh that sits between the Lake and the cabin, and the barbecued meats of other surrounding cabins. Walking out to the Lake to be alone in my thoughts, I scoop my hand through the cool, clear, blue and green waters of the afternoon tide, hoping to see a fish friendly enough to come be my friend. Jogging back to the large and recognizable yellow and off white cabin, I can imagine the foods being cooked for our family's feast, among the foods, Smores and potatoes, my family's favorites. As I lie in bed at night, I hear the soft tide crashing against the pier, and start to dream and endless dream of all the things that have molded my life to what it is today.
I hear a lingering voice, one that I haven't heard in a long while, a voice of someone who has influenced my life, even though she doesn't belong to this world anymore. A person of the past, the influential example without the sentimental mind. The one who has come to give the color turquoise new meaning, to take a color of the lake water and bring it inside the house.... daring to be different in her own unique way. She loved it here, the place that was hers, that she never forgot, though she could not remember people's names, but comically remembered people's phone numbers, reciting them redundantly, and then losing them again in a dark corner of her mind. A mother, A grandmother, a comedian, a Child like friend..... she claimed all these roles even if she couldn't claim anything else.
"If Mama ain't happy, Ain't nobody happy!" Our joke, innocent, yet very true. Things were always done by her specifications, or not at all. When she spoke, everyone listened and even though her lips don't move anymore, she still speaks, in her own way. "He built this place with his own two hands, but she made it a home." She did more than make it her own home, she made it a place to raise the future generations. She was confident, stubborn, creative.... this was her chance to create a masterpiece for herself, and with that, she made it one that cannot be recreated with the same pizazz.
"Las Vegas maybe where I live, but THIS is my home." I think this many times when I look out over the water and catch a glimpse of what used to be. My family has long since grown up and moved away, but in my heart, this is where I want to be all year, this is where I felt like a ture part of my family. Now as my family is scattered and busy with their own lives, I find that I miss the memories of late night cards, nicknames, livingroom campouts, journies to the lake through marsh and quick sand mud. A place where I felt free, where interruptions did not exist.
It is not a place for contention, and no one gets hurt unless it is through sarcasm, and even then, words are void of conflict. Leaving only time to fish, get a tan, or sneak over for a bounce on the Richard's trampoline, even when it's late.
She created a future, and if only she could see what she has created along side her companion. He was strong, independant, hardworking, and yet kind hearted and a fun loving Father. He would have given her the world, and up until the day she died, he did. Now, when the family gets together up at this wonderful cabin on rare occations, I sit and watch as the next generation beneath me learns to love this place as much as I do. Jacob begs for rides on the Lawn mower, and Annie is constantly bugging her parents to put her on the trampoline for a "bouncy bounce". If only she could see.... she would feel so wonderful again, watching future generations fall in love with something she loved. Watching them grow.
Walking away from this place forever, would wound me for life. It is like throwing away the best thing ever. It is significant. It means the world, not because you love being there, but because it reminds you of someone that has passed on. It was her legacy. Throwing away things like buying walkin's salve, going for a raspberry shake, or finding that perfect hiding spot on the property. It's my home. I think of this place before I think of Las Vegas. I have memories here, of times when things weren't so complicated, and stress didn't exist. I miss it.
It's funny because this place is my favorite, but it also started the problems that my family is going through right now. My dad hit his leg while on a jet ski, had a stroke, got sick from infections and now is in a permanent hospital residence. This place holds sad, happy, angry, lonely, and humorous memories. Its the one place I go for peace. I think mainly because it is where I remember everyone being young and carefree..... it's a place where we used to get together and have the best time. And even when I am old, this is my home and the place where I intend on being.