It has been a year of Sundays that we have opened our home to a troop of students. They arrive sporadically through the day with assignments in tow and projects to get counsel on. When the tasks are complete, there are analog games or capture the flag nerf then the main event, the reason for Sundays, epic Dungeon and Dragons. Our son, the nerd in Charge at Nerdz Garage, is a fellow student at the University. They met on the campus at the Game Club, that shifted to the Nerdz Garage. We provide two home cooked meals, and for their birthday we celebrate them with their favorite meal and the “what dessert if you could have any” sweet treat. I gaze across the view of a few lounging on the couch playing Switch, one at the counter taking a test and another setting up rules for the next adventure. At that moment a memory came flooding in from my past of a home that opened their doors to me and made feel accepted. During my school years, it seemed like I was the only kid without two parents. Being raised by a single mom since my dad passed, my home was empty more often than not. The house I gravitated to, filled with humor, kindness and a whole family. This home was the home of Alysa. The entire family was witty, but the dad, complete with dad jokes, was hysterical. I never felt out of place; their acceptance was plentiful, great family dinners and when I could not find my mom for a ride home, they would always take me back. My first witness to what a family should be and an example that I have adopted to pay it forward these beautiful Sundays. Alysa will have her memories of her years in that house at that time, and it may differ much from mine, but those times were meaningful to me. The Rosen’s have influenced my year of Sundays and in turn, may the Nerdz inspire these magnificent young humans to open their home to wayward kids down the line.
A Year of Sundays
Updated: May 26, 2020