A Sign of Love ~ Everlasting

As a child I spent my summer's with my mom, brothers and grandmother in our family's ancestral cabin in the Redwood forest that I now live in permanently. At my age of 9, it was the late sixties and our little sleepy hidden neighborhood hollow was filled with summer homes frequently rented out to transient "hippies". It was that time, and it was all about the Love. At the three-corner intersection of roads just up the hill a bit from the cabin, there was a signpost. This signpost looked like something out of The Wizard of Oz, as it had many home-made name signs nailed to it in a rather crooked and cock-eyed way, pointing the way to the various owner's homes up the various roads. One summer, the signpost had a new sign. It was a brightly colored, whimsically painted sign of Love. I thought in my young tender hippy frame of mind that it was nearly the coolest treasure I had ever come upon. Of no mind of future consequences, good or otherwise, and with a little egging on by my best girlfriend, I wrenched the sign off the post and proudly took it home for safekeeping. I knew for certain, that if I did not "rescue" the "sign of Love", someone else would, with a lot less caring to be sure. Little did I know at the time, that the sign was the name of the real people whose last name was "Love", who owned a home up the hill. Little did I know as well, that the Love family was off in Europe and the house was in transient rental that summer. And little did I know that the renters were a "commune", which only had bad connotations back in that day, in this area. However, somehow, upon discovery of these facts and more, the taking of the sign of Love just did not seem to be that bad of idea...quite justified in fact. It all just seemed to re-enforce in my child mind that I was indeed doing a good thing by rescuing the sign to ensure it's safekeeping. A few days later after my stealth move, my mother asked me to find my little brother, David, and bring him in for dinner. We all went out and hollered "David" over and over, walking up the road, continuing to holler his name. No answer. A short time later David, who was about five at the time, came wandering in and we asked where he had been. "Up the road with the naked people.", little David casually replied. "What do you mean "the naked people, David?" we asked with certain interest and curiosity. But dinner was ready and that was the end of that, for the moment. Of course, the next evening, David went MIA again, however this time, we were certain of the destination. This was our chance.... to see. My girlfriend and I hiked up the hill and found "the naked people in the house of Love"... and sure enough, we were greeted by a wrinkly, weathered old dude with long gray hair and beard, naked. Certainly, it was a shock, but David was right, and he was there... with the naked people. This provided great entertainment and loads of laughter and giggles on the walk home. Leave it to David we had always said. Memories of the summers of Love and the wooden sign have remained with me since. The cool Love sign has reigned over every home I have had since, and now after over 40 years, the old sign of Love is back in the neighborhood, kept safe and returned home. Old times and neighbors have moved on, the signpost is long gone in its entirety and a large magnificent purple crepe myrtle tree stands in its place. The commune and the Love family are long gone as well. No one else knows or remembers. But there is a "sign of Love" that remains in place. Little could I have known at the time, back in the day, that things in my life would come full circle. Little could I have known how the safekeeping of the sign of Love would become such a metaphor for the full circle return of so many things for this great grand old lady cabin in the woods, especially the love after it had been gone from the place for so very many years. Now, as the wooden whimsical "sign of Love" reigns supreme over the mantle of the great stone hearth in the heart of the great living room, times of true love have bloomed into fullness as family and friends frequent our loving home... laughing, dancing, singing and playing music together, filling the heart of my great, great grandmother's home.... with joyful LOVE ~ everlasting!