Friday eve, Nov. 7th… memories in the winds of Autumn………

We are now entering the home stretch of another approaching Thanksgiving holiday season, which is the traditional beginning of the holidays.
How I long for parts of my life that have passed into memory. The feelings of joy at holiday times when my mother and father readied everything for the Thanksgiving or Christmas day meal. It was then that I, as a child, knew it would only be a short time, before both families of grandparents would be in attendance at the table and a good time would be shared by all. How I would love to have them all back here with us this year, along with all Vicki’s present and departed family members. How I long to go back to those kinds of exciting feelings that you were a direct part of, as you sat back and relished the moment and seeing it all unfold. I remember playing outside, with neighbor kids, the night before Christmas…… seeing our breath drifting in the cool night air……usually freezing, but running and laughing in the dark as we rode our sleds across my grandparents back yard in the dim blue light of winter, under a full moon……… killing time, before it got too late to stay any longer. It was then we would all dissipate to our homes and own families, to await bedtime, where we would fidget and roll in bed, trying to get to sleep, but couldn’t…… not with the thought of Christmas day and all the excitement of relatives, presents, eating a huge meal and the laughter in and of the holiday spirit. We still have memory making moments…… don’t get me wrong…… and young children are doing the exact same type of things we did in our time, but for us, it is now different, as we are now the grandparents, aunts and uncles of yesteryear. Even during hunting season, of which I haven’t participated in since I could afford to buy food for my table, I still get a funny feeling and remember the good times of tradition, when all the family met on the morning of deer season, to hunt together. It was never for the thrill of shooting something, which I would find extremely hard to do now, but for the memory of the camaraderie shared by family and friends alike, as we amassed with great hopes of withstanding the freezing temperatures, all day long without moving from our stands. I remember everyone gathering at our house the day before, laughing, yakking and re-living seasons past, with memories that created the very happenings of today that would transform into the memories we would reclaim next year at this very time. How those old memories bring a smile to my face and a warm feeling inside. I can close my eyes and spend time again with departed family members, remembering their words and smiles as they told their stories, of memories favored by them, but still wanting to share them with all present.
Such golden memories are the bank accounts of our lives……… the very staples we need when old age creeps into our bones and we have to slow down and life starts to pass us by. That is when we withdraw those golden memories a little at a time, to see us through. It was always said that memories are forever and for that we are thankful…… but remember to enjoy them everyday along the way too…… for I know too many bank accounts lost to the thief called Alzheimer’s long before the other thieves rob you of actual life itself.
Today we did exactly what we should have………… nothing…………… and I liked it!