Saying "Goodbye" to Sylvan Park

One of my favorite things to do in life is "sit around and chat."  Friends and family have been known to get random calls or texts from me asking about going to lunch, playing cards, going to the beach, or coming over for a glass of wine on the screened in porch.  All of these are just "cover ups" for "Hey, let's get together and chat."   I would say that 99% of the time, it's just that.  Let's "chat" about whatever comes to mind.   Only 1% of the time is it to, let's say, "gripe."  I'm not a fan of high drama nor am I a fan of negative feelings.  Every so often I do feel the need, and so I will call and say, "I need to gripe."  I feel like I should warn my friends and family because most of the time this kind of talk "goes against the grain" for me.  Most of the time I will even ask for permission....."Can I gripe for just a minute?"  I am thankful for those who are willing to listen to me, for just a few minutes, and then move on.  These people know that I really don't want to dwell because I HATE negativity and prefer to look for the glass as "half full." 

I'm not sure when I discovered how much I loved "chatting sessions" but I think it might go back to having lunch with my Dad while I was in college.  He would call me when I was at Belmont and take me to lunch.  As a college student, I was always "up" for a free lunch, especially with my dad.  Back then the lunches were mostly about how my classes were going, how my money was holding out and he never let a lunch go by without asking about my friends and how each of them was doing.  Through the years these lunches have progressed to deeper conversations.  We have tackled the world's problems, we have discussed prophecy and truths from the Bible, we have talked about his upbringing and how it affected his life,  and countless other topics.  He still asks me about every one of my friends and now asks me about every one of my children.   These lunch dates have become FAR more than a free lunch and a "chat" with my dad.  They are now a time to hear more wisdom that money can buy and a time to reflect on life.  He so openly shares his thoughts and his life that it inspires me to do the same.

My dad started taking my boys and all of his grandchildren for lunch "chats" several years ago.  Sometimes he will take them "one on one" and other times he takes a group of two or three.  He realizes that the way to  their hearts, and their conversation, is through food.   Just like with me, he lets them pick the place and they can order whatever they want.  One very special place that they always pick is Sylvan Park Restaurant.   They can go there and get as many starches as they want and finish it off with chocolate pie and he never says a word.  In fact, it's expected.  Today, October 19th, 2012, is the last day for the orginal location of Sylvan Park to be opened.  The building is old and run down and they are closing it down for good.  A few weeks ago my sister, my Dad and I took three of the grandsons there for a final meal at this well loved part of our history.  While enjoying the delicious food there, the conversation quickly turned to my Dad telling all of us about growing up in Sylvan Park as a kid and how they used to go sledding on McCabe's Golf Course and then come to Sylvan Park for hot chocolate.  He recounted how the family who owned the restaurant lived in the house right behind the restaurant and how the gas station next door was owned by a "fishing buddy" of my grandfather's.  We heard about the "Blizzard of 51" and how people would go to Sylvan Park to eat because they couldn't drive anywhere, only walk.  I could have sat all day long and listened to these stories but the restaurant got so crowded that we felt compelled to give someone else our seats. 

These kinds of "chats" are worth more than silver or gold to me.  I commented to my dad that while it was special in the moment, I could see these four grandsons telling their kids about it one day and when they did,  it would mean a thousand times more.  That's just how it works.  I'm sure when my dad was getting hot chocolate there and sledding with his friends back in 1951 he had no idea what that would mean to him in 2012.  He had no idea that he would be eating with two of his daughters and three of his grandsons and recounting all of those precious memories.  I wouldn't trade the day that we had for anything.  I am thankful for these spontaneous moments that God gives us to recount what really matters in life and I am thankful for the older folks who take the time to convey their life's wisdom to us.  I am also thankful for my friends and family who love to "chat" with me.  May our lives be sweeter for the times we spent at Sylvan Park.