Every now and then, I burst out laughing at some weird
moment – like while I’m in the shower or blow drying my hair. You know, one of those times when your mind
is wandering around and you think, “Why on earth did I think of that” kind of
time. Now, I savor those times when I
can remember little things that I’ve tucked back in my memory and completely
forgotten because for the life of me, if
someone had asked me about them, I couldn’t have told them a straight story. But when they flash in my mind while I'm standing naked
in the shower or some other inopportune time, I’m real tempted to run through
the house to my computer to write it down so I’ll never forget it again. It’s a priceless memory!
Priceless memories…….Remember shy boy? Well, we’ve been married 57 years now. On a very hot August day, not long after my
eighteenth birthday, my Daddy walked me down the aisle of the First Methodist
Church where I was
baptized at eight years old. As we
started into the sanctuary, Daddy looked at me and said, “Baby, it’s not too
late to back out – are you sure?” I
smiled back and said, “I’m sure”….…….
As we rattled down the road at 90 miles an hour with tin
cans behind our borrowed car and unknown to us, dead fish tied to the motor
of the car, we headed to Atlanta for a
two day honeymoon with $50 in our pockets..
We came home with $11. We had
everything figured out and because we loved each other, thought that was enough
to make our world complete
Well, let me tell you, we didn’t have everything figured out
and loving each other didn’t cut it on making our world complete. Far from it.
If anybody ever tries to tell you that love is all you need, you might
want to steer clear of their marital advice.
Almost ten months later thinking I had eaten too much watermelon,
the most adorable, very hairy, 8 ½ lb.
baby boy appeared, complete with ten fingers and toes and blue
eyes. Not at all what I had secretly
asked for! (A baby boy that looked like my little brother) but equally as
beautiful. I was like a mother hen! I rocked and kissed and sang to that baby
constantly, I dressed him in the
precious hand made baby clothes Mom had made for my brother and passed along to
me. Priceless memories……
Twenty months later, #2, an 8 lb 11 oz, bald head bundle of
joy appeared. Once again, we dressed
this sweetheart in the now frayed handmade diaper shirts and long gowns made of
batiste and lace. No rocking and
cuddling would do for this one, however. I tried, but he wanted no part of that. He did
his own thing rocking on his all fours in the crib. By the time he could mount on his all fours,
he was rocking that crib from one side of the room to the other. No pacifier, no walking the floor, no singing,
no cooing, nothing seemed to soothe the constant movement and colic. In the meantime, #1 child was underneath the
crib with #2’s bottle watching the crib whiz by. When #2 learned to walk at eight months,
yes, eight months old, the two of them would start inside one end my kitchen
cabinets and ramble through the pots and pans to the other end, a distance of
some 10 ft or so.
As they grew, their energy knew no bounds. They could figure out how to do
anything. Once, #1 decided to see if he
could clean up #2, so he placed him in the washing machine and turned it
on. Screaming, #2 yells for help and I
come running to find him holding on for dear life as he swishes back and forth
in my new Kenmore. Priceless memories…..
Then there was the time when they stuffed the paper in the
furnace where the pilot light burned. My
Mom happened to be baby sitting at the time and thought the house was on
fire. The fire department wasn’t
amused.
And who could forget how proud I was of my four year when he
could recite the Pledge of Allegiance at Ms. Duffy’s kindergarten. “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
nunited states of the merica and to the republic for which it stands one nation
under guard with liverty and justice for all”.
………. Priceless memories…….
Of course, there was #2’s first broken arm that we didn’t
know was broken, and the second one that we did know was broken which grew back
bowed. The time he escaped from school
in the 3rd grade and was half way across town before we finally
caught him. He allowed as how his desk
stunk and he didn’t like that school!
Snow balls with rocks in them, gasoline on frogs, skipping
school, and a whole lot of other unmentionables fall into the category of
priceless memories as well. Just because
they are priceless doesn’t always mean they have to be good memories. It simply means that they served a purpose in
my life and they are tucked away never to be forgotten.
After seven years with two rambunctious boys, we were
blessed with a beautiful baby girl. The
boys were so proud of their little sister and told the whole neighborhood of
her new developments before I could!
Naturally, she wanted to do everything they did. Typical little “tom boy”.
Leotards and tutu’s were not her style. I can see her now with the leotards inching
down her legs and her fussing about having to wear them. We enrolled her in dance classes hoping that
would entice her to become “lady like”.
That was a hoot! Leotards falling
down with tutu’s and scarves flowing on the stage was definitely worth the
price of admission. But she was my
little girl! ……..
I’ll never forget the time the discussion somehow came up
about telling lies and the fact that people burned in hell and four year old Teresa burst out in tears…..”You never TOLD me
that!” Or when Mom thanked her for something and she politely says "Don't mention it!" And the time she said "Momma, have you got feathers?" which I'll leave at that is the best story ever! Priceless memories……
When she was in 1st grade, she would watch the
neighbors across the street play tennis.
When she saw them go to the court, she’d run get her brother’s racket,
run across the street to the courts, and sit on the benches watching. They would see her and usually ask her to
come hit some balls with them when they finished. She would go on to be on the tennis team in
high school. Softball, soccer, any
sport was right up her alley. My little
girl wanted no part of the fluffy stuff!
Family time was almost nonexistent. What shy boy and I didn’t have figured out
was how to raise three children on that $11 we came home with from our
honeymoon. He was working all the time and I worked outside the home as
well. It was necessary to maintain the
lifestyle we wanted for ourselves and the children. We moved many times due to job changes and
each time was supposed to make life better and give us more time together in
the big scheme of things. It didn’t
happen that way. Years flew by and the
children grew up and now have families of their own. I wonder how their lives might be different
today if our choices, as parents, had been different for them growing up.
Now, fifty seven years later, memories are just that. But they are priceless. The good ones and
the bad ones. I laugh spontaneously at
the good ones and grieve at the bad ones.
There are many things that I would do differently as a parent if I had
an opportunity to go back in time. My
hope is that somehow amid all the things that got overlooked and I didn’t do
right, the one thing my children will always know is that I love them more
anything else and they'll always be my special gifts from God..
