Something Great I Received A Long Time Ago..."A Keeper"..."I grew up in the 40s/50s with practical parents... A mother who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.
Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now... Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat... and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and a dish-towel in the other. !
It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress , things we keep. It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy.
All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.
But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.
Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So... while we have it... it's best we love it.... and care for it... and fix it when it's broken...... and heal it when it's sick.
This is true... for marriage... and old cars... and children with bad report cards... and dogs with bad hips... and aging parents... and grandparents.
We keep them because they are worth it... because we are worth it. Some things we keep, like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with.There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special... and so, we keep them close!"
*Today I am thankful for all the love, friendship and support in my life- from my family, friends and people who's lives I touch through my work..because all of you make a difference in my life and help to make it what it is:) Focusing on all the good in our lives throws any negativity out the window into the swiftness of the wind...
Buff at 60!!
