Memories

Guess it's about time for a new post. Been thinking a lot lately about memories. Aren't you thankful that God gave our minds the ability to recall things that have already happened? I realize all too well that disease and age can rob us of our memories, but for the most part it is an awesome ability. We can just sit down and remember things that we want to replay in our mind. Most of us would rather remember just the happy, wonderful events in our life but remembering the not so good and even bad things is important as well.. hopefully we learn from them. I spent the past 5 days with some very dear long time(notice I did not say old!!) friends and a good bit of the time we spent together we were remembering! The 5 of us were all members at Parkway when our children were very young, one by one each family, except mine, moved away from Natchez. We have kept up through the years and seen one another at weddings and funerals but until this past week never taken the time to actually get together and enjoy being with each other again. We had a wonderful time and have all agreed to make it an annual event. Back to memories though....it was interesting how some of the memories we discussed were remembered by all of us and then some things only one or two of us would remember but after hearing it described could also at least vaguely remember the event. Then there were things that one or two remembered and the rest have absolutely no memory of that event at all. Interesting....

Memories have always been important to me but with daddy being gone they are now even more precious. I am so very thankful that I have the ability to "hear" his voice and to "feel" his hug. I am thankful to be able to relive in my mind the day of my wedding and those three wonderful days that my girls came into this world. I am thankful to be able to remember my mama's laugh and the delicious food that she cooked. I am thankful to remember just ordinary days that now seem extra-ordinary. Days when one of my children or now my grandchildren do or say something sweet or kind or funny. Like the night Skyler was lying beside me about to go to sleep and he looked up at me and said, "Mimi, I love you so much I could eat you up!" or having kept Will one day and him saying, "it's been a really good day, Mimi!"

Oh my, I have so many wonderful memories that God gives me the ability to recall. And there are the ones that are painful, yet helpful to remember, and some that are just painful. Like hearing my mama say she had not talked to me in 3 days when I had talked to her everyone of those days and knowing now that was the beginning of her Alzheimer's. And hearing a voice on the phone say, "Sydney has been in a wreck." and Sarah say, "Mama, I lost the baby." And most recently, hearing the doctor say, "we are fairly sure your daddy has cancer that has already spread." I thank God that He has given me many more wonderful, happy memories than the sad, painful ones. I know that more of each kind are in my future and the good thing about that is... I know Who holds the future!!!

As far as the past few days with my good friends....Beth, Jean, Kathy, and Melinda...I am so thankful for all our "old" memories and for the new ones we made over then last few days!!! Can't wait to do it again!

Here we are......20 years ago



And here are a few picts of us this past week!