"How far we all come. How far we all come away from ourselves. So far, so much between, you can never go home again. You can go home, it's good to go home, but you never really get all the way home again in your life. And what's it all for? All I tried to be, all I ever wanted and went away for, what's it all for?

"Just one way, you do get back home. You have a boy or a girl of your own and now and then you remember, and you know how they feel, and it's almost the same as if you were your own self again as young as you could remember."

from A Death in the Family, James Agee

:~:

The campus is suddenly overrun with families, and "no mentions of belly-button rings or cigarettes!" It's a very disconcerting feeling; even though my parents are not here I feel the presence of the other parents and the pretension of the campus as it tries to put on its best face for the families.

:~:

What I really need more of is context.