Memories: May 18, 2012

I find I am like Mother. I want to write about her and Dad; the things that they said and did that shaped us children into the strong adults we are today; but like Ms. Alberta, I find that it isn’t that there are too few memories but too many. It is never just one thing that shapes us but the combination of all that we are exposed to and taught that makes us what we are.

“God helps those who help themselves,” taught as we plowed, planted and took care of the garden we raised each year.

“There’s always someone just a little bit worse off than you are yourself,” this one taught as we shared what we had with neighbors, friends and some times strangers that needed help.

“A place for everything, and everything in its place,” That taught us to be neat and organized.

“When you point a finger at someone, you have three pointing back at yourself,” “Don’t pass judgment until you've walked a mile in the other man’s shoes,” taught us to consider before we condemned.

“Words are like bullets; once you let them loose you can’t call them back,” taught us to take a deep breathe before we spoke.

Mom and Dads actions and all the sayings helped to shape us as we grew up. But what I remember the most is the laughter. Mother could find what was funny in the worst situation and Dad was always ready for a pillow fight or a water fight.

I can remember the mischief dancing in Dads eyes and how Dad would give Mother one of his sideways smiles and Mother would say “Now Harold!” as she took off running as fast as she could go with him running close behind, as both their voices rang with laughter and joy in the running.

Yes, too many memories – and too few words to put those memories onto paper to share. But I am going to try to share the memories. I promised Ms. Alberta and besides, one of my memories may be the pebble thrown into the pond of life that will ripple and touch someone else’s life. That memory may be the one that will give someone else hope or laughter; and that is the one thing that I know for sure. Mother and Dad believed there was always a silver lining in the darkest cloud; God always opens a window when He closes a door; cry and you cry alone – laugh and the world laughs with you.

What I learned from my mother and my father was this:

God should always be first and foremost in your life. Laughter is the best medicine in the world. When it is combined with a strong faith in God, the Father, Christ, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; you may have problems, trials, and tribulations; you may stumble and even fall; but God will be there to comfort you while you are weak and He will help you stand tall and strong again.