Since the deaths of both my Mom and Dad this last winter my emotions have been on a roller coaster. There are days when I wish I could once again pick up the phone and call; just to hear their voices again. They are gone and life moves on.
As the weather in Texas starts to get a little cooler, Football is in full swing with the High School playoffs beginning this week and Stores are stocking up anticipating the coming Holiday season, my mind begins to search the memories of growing up. I grew up in Northeast Kansas in a small town during a time when life was simpler. Many of the holiday treats were homemade and Family Gatherings were a collective effort Food and fun for all. Sometime in the Early days of fall my Mom would begin the ritual of making lots of Homemade Candies and Holiday Cookies that would be stored carefully away in the freezer until the Holidays began. Many a day I would arrive home with my 4 siblings to the smell of freshly made treats hoping Mom would save a least a little taste for each of us. Most of the time there would be a small sampling for us to share.
Then beginning with Thanksgiving week the Holiday Season would begin. There would be pies and rolls to bake and there is nothing better than the aroma of a fresh Homemade baked goods as they bake to perfection. My Mom was a great cook! The jello salads would be made and the list of supplies needed for Thanksgiving dinner would be checked and purchased because back in those days it was unheard of any store being open on Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was many times spent with my Dad's side of the family. Mom and Aunt Betty and Aunt Betty Mae along with Grandma would begin the Turkey and Dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and various other dishes all homemade. My Dad and Uncle Frank would take my younger brother Mike, cousin Frankie and me to hunt Quail in the Northeast Kansas farmlands. We would get up before the sun would rise and many times would sit along the road in our pickup sipping hot chocolate and coffee waiting for daylight. After the morning hunt we would head back to join the rest of the Family for the Thanksgiving feast. I say feast because there would be enough food you could eat all day and still have enough left over for several meals.
The sights and sounds of Thanksgiving with family are valuable memories. It shows me the love my parents had for me and my brothers and sisters to make sure we had a rich family experience to cherish the rest of our lives.
Happy Thanksgiving Mom and Dad! Thank You for the memories!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.â€
Marianne Williamson
Marianne Williamson
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thoughts of Grief and remembering...
As I stated in the last post this year has been a year of tears for me. I always knew the day would come when my parents would pass away but I never expected the emptiness and the haunting feelings of loss to be so great. Maybe because I lost both in so short a time; after all I was just getting over the shock of my Moms sudden unexpected death when Dad fell and went through the trauma of surgery and then his death. I know with the death of both parents in a two month period of time was and is an emotional roller coaster of feelings of loss and then euphoric feelings remember child hood memories.
Remembering all the sights and sounds and smells of growing up and then proudly visiting with our children in later years letting Mom and Dad be Grandma and Grandpa. One thing my parents taught me was the value of family. We had a good family life and grew up to become families of our own. I am the oldest and the only one who moved away from the hometown area so maybe all the things I missed of the latter years of my parents life cause my feelings of loss to be so great. I have decided to try the best of my ability to step up and make sure I stay in touch with Brothers and Sisters since I don't have Mom and Dad to talk to and find out what is going on in my siblings lives.
In the next few weeks and months I will be sharing some of the things I remember and tell the stories of growing up in a Small Northeast Kansas town and the adventures we had. Partially I want to write to make sure somewhere I write down the memories before they fade away and partially for my own self healing and recovery. I hope some will find comfort in my words and as I share some of the funny stories maybe a laugh or too also.
Remembering all the sights and sounds and smells of growing up and then proudly visiting with our children in later years letting Mom and Dad be Grandma and Grandpa. One thing my parents taught me was the value of family. We had a good family life and grew up to become families of our own. I am the oldest and the only one who moved away from the hometown area so maybe all the things I missed of the latter years of my parents life cause my feelings of loss to be so great. I have decided to try the best of my ability to step up and make sure I stay in touch with Brothers and Sisters since I don't have Mom and Dad to talk to and find out what is going on in my siblings lives.
In the next few weeks and months I will be sharing some of the things I remember and tell the stories of growing up in a Small Northeast Kansas town and the adventures we had. Partially I want to write to make sure somewhere I write down the memories before they fade away and partially for my own self healing and recovery. I hope some will find comfort in my words and as I share some of the funny stories maybe a laugh or too also.
Friday, October 8, 2010
2010 has been a bumpy road!
It has been a while since I have written. This year has been a tough year. My Mom died on January 15th and then My Dad fell and hit his head needing 5 hours of emergency surgery only to die on March 20th. In dealing with the loss of both my Parents I have also had to deal with some severe pain in my hips and legs making it very difficult to get around. Fighting Pain and depression at the same time has been difficult but I am improving with gaining some strength back in my legs with the pain becoming less severe. I am working on loosing weight and improving my overall health with diet and some exercise. As far as facing the grief of my parents both passing away in a 2 month period of time well lets just say I have had some good days and some not so good days.
I know that the Lord has been there and seen me through some of the darkest days when my motivation to do even the simplest things was not there. I will continue to move on in my life and I will again see the sun shining bright.
Til next Time
Steve
I know that the Lord has been there and seen me through some of the darkest days when my motivation to do even the simplest things was not there. I will continue to move on in my life and I will again see the sun shining bright.
Til next Time
Steve
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
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