My Thoughts Reaching Out To The Hollows And Hills

The Sweetest Moments

As the years catch up with me and I can see such a long way back, nostalgia haunts almost every idle moment of my time. A longing to go to a far-away place of long-ago lives within me. Back to my childhood; A place hidden in the deepest corners of my mind. I freely admit that I don't always want to go there! And yet, to try to forget, is surely to remember. At times the memories break my heart all over again, but with each tear comes a reprieve, for a while. Invariably, many, many beautiful memories come to my rescue, moving along the path of darkness, taking away the pain, leaving only peace and love within my soul.

Sometimes I wonder, in awe, that I can remember the tiniest details in so many different situations in my childhood. As the scenes play out in my mind, I can recall conversations and reactions from the people involved, including their facial expressions. And yet, my mind refuses to conjure up the name of someone I met only a short time ago.

Scientists seem to think they have the answer; something to do with our brain cells. Physicians tell us that it's a normal part of life. I have my own belief concerning this phenomenon! I believe that God in His infinite wisdom knew when He created us that someday, as we grew older, we would need a place of refuge ... a place to escape to - where we would feel safe ... and loved. I gratefully thank Him for providing me with and for preserving such a place ... for that special time in my life.

Here then, within these pages, are some of those memories. Like me, you must take the bad ... along with the good!

In sharing these times in my life, perhaps they will live on - may even be shared by my loved ones after I am gone. To bring laughter, or even a tear or two. Or ... just to remember, as I have done.

Faith, hope, and a lot of love, (and more than a few trips to the old Willow Tree), were instilled in me as a child. They were carefully and intricately woven into who I was ... and who I am.

Go back with me ... over roads that I've traveled. Stay with me as I find myself in the deepest, darkest valleys, with only my faith to cling to. Then ... climb the steepest hills with me. Feel the rain on my face, the sun at my back, and the joy in my heart. Touch, but do not dwell on my defeats, my losses. Hear my prayers, even the unspoken ones...especially the unspoken ones.

Should you find yourself smiling (or crying) over any of the things I've written, remember, I too, have smiled and cried. Sometimes, as I lived them, and almost always, again, as I remembered them.