Who Knows? Do they Know? Here Goes!

I have been accused of being NOSTALGIC

Dictionary defines Nostalgic as : A bittersweet longing for things, persons, or situations of the past.

A key word in this definition is "bittersweet" - It conjures up bitter visions of pain, anger, hurt, betrayal, lies, death, tears, confusion, loss, frustration and helplessness along with sweet visions of beauty, streams, mountains, magic, beaches and seagulls, walks and stroller in the park and airport reunions, caling alligators out of a pond, singing, dancing, pure joy, unconditional love, ballet recitals, hugs, acting , births, first words, first steps, ball games, music, funny faces, finally meeting and getting to know grandchildren, praises, friends, pets, family and loved ones.

(Try this, take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle of the page and on the left write down the
challenges, hurts and sorrows and on the right write down the blessing, praises and joys. Place one item per line. You'll find always that the right side will be longer)!

I am okay with being nostalgic. As long as I don't allow myself to get stuck in the bitter side of the matter.

I shall attempt to bring to bring to these pages some recollections and deep thoughts of the past for the present and future folks that come to my mind.

The full impact we have on others is NEVER known to us. One of my grandmother's favorite movies was It's A Wonderful Life. It was introduced to me at the Little House in Buford ion the small library den with brother Keith and Mama Lucy a long looong time ago. AS you know iot serves as a great reminder of the impact we don't realize we have on other people we come in contact with. Strangers, acquaintances, co-workers, neighbors and especially those we too often take for granted: our family members. Encourage one another.

The experiences we have, and the circumstances we are in at the time, impact us all differently in how we perceive them and the depth to which it will effect us. These experiences stick with us forever.

I think it is important to point out that our age and our perception are to be taken into serious consideration. As Benny Buffington used to say "In other words..." things are not always what they seem to be.

Example: In about 1958, I went to visit the Stamey family on their farm outside Clarkesville, GA . I was 10 yrs old. I thought I'd been dumped off and abandoned by my parents. It seemed like weeks to me. It must have had something to do with getting up at 4 am to feed hundreds of chickens in the 8 long chicken houses, milk the cows and care for the cattle then go fishing. They'd all go to bed just after dark. That made for long sleepless nights for a young night owl like me. Many years later I was told that it was only 4 1/2 days!!! perception and circumstance !

So as you read these entries my children, (young and older) remember that which you perceive ain't necessarily so.

More later- stay tuned.