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THE PASSING OF A WAY OF LIFE: Ever since I learned of the death of Marjorie Reulet Granier, I’ve been thinking of the passing of a way of life. Marjorie lived in the same house for 90 years. Like most of us, she lived in the house with her parents until they died. She stayed in the house after her marriage and raised her children there until they all married and moved out. Every afternoon when I passed in front of the house before turning down my street, I always looked to see who was sitting on the front porch with her. Sometimes there were one or two on the swing and the chairs, other times the porch guests seemed to overflow into the front yard. Sometimes Marjorie would be alone on the porch reading the paper or a book. She loved to read and share information she read. She worked as a waitress at Oak Alley for over 30 years. She especially enjoyed conversations in French with foreign visitors. She did well at that job. The last time her nephew Colin Gravois was in from France with his wife and one of two daughters, they fixed a picnic meal and went to Marjorie’s front porch to eat, just for the experience of being on that porch once again. There was nothing extra special about Marjorie’s house. It is a white wood frame house built like so many others about 18 inches to two feet off the ground in case of flooding. It is likely one of the oldest buildings still in existence in Vacherie, but it was home to many and a great meeting spot. I don’t know what will happen to the house now, but I’m sure hope the next inhabitants enjoy the front porch as much as the past residents did. We need more front porch time with friends and neighbors. Daily porch meetings build neighborhoods and keep families connected. So many of us grew up visiting relatives on their front porches. There was no television on the porch to steal our attention and no cellphones to eat our time. It was just conversation. The elderly sharing wisdom with the younger generation and lots of wholesome conversation that is not available from any sources. Many of you likely have had a similar experience with a family home that was given up to time when parents died. Some of those buildings were kept and others razed to make way for modern houses. You may have needed time to grieve the death of the last resident and the death of a life you so enjoyed. No matter what happens to the house and all the stories that are hidden in the walls, we all need to make the effort to keep the family together when the matriarch has died.