Those were the days

     I am not in my usual quite spot this beautiful Wednesday morning, in fact there is nothing quite about this one at all.  I am waiting for a friend to join me at Cracker Barrel, and I have to admit, I had a laugh this morning, wondering when I suddenly turned into one of those "little ole" ladies who meet here to visit, what happened to meeting after work for cocktails?  I know what happened, as well as you do, life happened...marriage and kiddos and homework and dinner and bathtimes and bedtimes happened.  But as a friend and I were discussing earlier this week, we wouldn't trade those times for anything, what did we do with all our time before?  How did we find enough in a day to keep us busy?

     I love to visit with the friend I am meeting today, she and I have known each other since high school, and have the type of friendship that no matter how busy we get, within a few minutes of being around each other, feel as if no time at all as passed....we simply pick up the conversation where we left it and continue right into the next.  She is one of those friends that I hope to continue meeting here even when we truly do turn into those little, blue haired ladies.....looking back and laughing at some of the antics we survived.  I am truly blessed in the fact, I have several of these type of friends, not many people have friendships that survive the passage of time, and I am thankful for each of them, and the roles that God uses them to play in my life.

     As I sit here, listening to the chatter around me, listening to how much hay a farmer was able to get this season, or how many tomatoes this group of ladies canned, or how excited someone is for Sunday to get here because the grandkids are coming over for Sunday dinner, it makes my heart ache for times that are gone.  It makes me yearn for the sound of a slamming screen door, and homemade sweet tea, and the feeling of rocking in a rocking chair or swinging on a front porch swing with my family.  To quote an old tv show, "those were the days".  There were even two gentlemen sitting on the porch here, rocking away, and discussing-(and probably solving)-some current event, both of them, looked me in the eye as I passed, and said:  "morning!".....what happened to those times?  How did we get so busy that we forgot the importance of slowing down?  The importance of connecting?  The importance of actually having a conversation with each other?  The importance of telling our "stories" to each other?  The importance of understanding and finding value in each other?  I am the world's worse at picking up a phone and texting someone, rather than taking the time to actually speak to a person, to hear in their voice how they are doing, are they happy,.... are they worried?  Some of the most precious times in my life was sitting either at the table, or standing washing dishes with my grandmother and two aunts, all of which have passed into eternity.  One of my grandma's favorite sayings, was:  "let's go and swing for awhile".  We would sit and just talk, she would share stories of when she was younger, and tell of tales of what she and her brothers and sisters would get into, or how hard life was for my great grandparents, how they grew everything they needed to survive, with the exception of coffee, tea, and sugar....how they would barter with grocery clerks, or how a man's word meant more than any amount of money or bank note..  It was better than any "little House on the Prairie" books let me assure you.  How I wish I would have written those stories down, or better yet, video'd her sharing them..  They are written somewhere on my heart, but with all of the hecticness of today, how much of them do I really remember  to share with my boys?

   
     God has been moving me alot lately to just "sit" with Him, rest with Him, remember with Him....thinking of today's memories and  how much I long for days long gone, I think I see why that is so important to Him.  He knew how easy it would be to get all caught up in life, and forget the importance of spending time with Him and each other.  That is why He made it one of the commandments, He knew how vital it is, not just for our bodies, but for our very souls.

     Today, I am thankful for friends I can laugh, and cry, with....I am thankful for sweet memories that could not  be bought with all the money in the world, but most of all, I am thankful for a Father who still knows my heart, and will be waiting for me on that front porch swing, just to "swing" awhile.....missing you so much, Thelma Jernigan, that my heart literally hurts today, I pray He whispers I love you from me.....onward to  the next day of this journey....but for the grace of God go I.....