PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

\ I know I say this every time we visit our cabin in NC…

how wonderful it is to visit a place with so much family history.

And how I’ll never tire of visiting all those memories from our past

because each new visit to this cabin is a little different from the last.

In the time we’ve been away…I’m not the same person I was las visit

I’ve been a little redefined…

ready to make new memories as well as visiting all the old ones we’ve left behind.

When we make the turn to the cabin

I still see Deborah’s mom and dad standing atop the stairs

I see them waving with big smiles on their faces…even though they’re no longer there.

As we enter the cabin their spirits still echo off the walls

and seamlessly mix with memories of our children and grandchildren

from our last visit…back to a time when they were small.

Walking around the cabin memories are everywhere…

family dinners around the table, playing games…laughing so hard we cried. 

scavenger hunts, playing hide and seek…

remembering the best places there are to hide.

Sitting on the porch listening to the rain…

watching the sun set in the evening…and in the morning rise.

making s’mores around the campfire……children chasing fireflies.

This visit…swirling around all these older memories…

in a wonderfully slow and gentle flow

were the memories of Damien and Trista’s wedding

held here…only 8 short months ago.

Memories of a perfect day…families coming together, the party

the look on Damiens face…the dress that Trista wore…

memories that made this visit to the cabin a little different than all the ones before.

For that is what makes this cabin special…

knowing some of the best memories we’ve ever made…

of some of the best times we’ve ever had

will be waiting the next time we make the turn to the cabin

waving to us from atop the stairs……right behind Deborahs mom and dad.

Today I’m grateful for a be filled with beautiful memories…

Memories I’m always happy to revisit for a little while…

Memories that sneak out of my eyes

run down my cheeks

and find their way into smile.

 We visited the Sugar Sand Festival on Clearwater Beach

where we saw sculptures in the sand.

Sculptures created by professional artists celebrating

a time when dinosaurs roamed the land.

As we viewed the sculptures so magnificent…so wondrous and grand

we were reminded of a time with our children and grandchildren

when we built castles in the sand.

Ours were not professional in any way…our little castles in the sand

created using little plastic shovels and pails and packed down with our hands.

But to a family on the beach who saw not with our eyes but with our hearts

they weren’t just castles in the sand…they were impressive works of art.

The more we walked through the sculptures rising majestically out of the sand

the more we drifted back and forth between a time when dinosaurs

then children, then grandchildren roamed the land.

And once again we realized as we walked together hand in hand

how life slips by so quickly just like dinosaurs…

children growing up…and castles in the sand.

We shared a bittersweet moment walking in the sand that day

On the one hand sad that so much time has so quickly slipped away.

But so thankful, happy and excited on the other hand…

for having had the chance to make so many memories in the sand.

Whenever we visit with our children or grandchildren two distinct emotions flow over me.

As I marvel at who they’ve become my mind drifts back to a time when they were three.

A time when life was a little more innocent, less troubled, more carefree.

A time when they were small enough to sit upon my knee.

Whenever we get together and moments of the present mix with moments of the past

I wonder where the years have flown…and how time has moved so fast.

Even though I’ve been lucky to be here to watch my children and grandchildren grow

Every time we get together I wonder…how can yesterday have been so long ago?  

Wasn’t it only yesterday they were crawling…

when they took their first steps toward me?

Wasn’t it only yesterday they were sitting upon my knee?

We begin this journey through life together…

and along the way a host of memories we collect.

Old memories that mix with new memories 

every time our now separate journeys intersect.

Of course that’s the way it is supposed to be…

time moves on…and children grow

As parents we’re meant to enjoy the memories we make today

As well as those made long ago.

It’s a precious gift time gives us…that lasts through our eternity…

A chance to visit our children and grandchildren as they grow 

At the same time time we visit a time when the sat upon our knee.

Do you know what I’m grateful for…

as I begin another beautiful day….

I’m grateful for all the memories

I’ve made along the way.

May we be blessed as we look back on our lives…

to be contented…happy and pleased…

for all those beautiful moments every day

we’ve turned onto memories.

May we be blessed to understand how truly blessed we are

from the moment our life starts…

that even the smallest memories

can find a place within our hearts.

He pauses two times every day around the first and the last light…

Once after his eyes open in the morning…and once before they close at night.

At night…a peaceful moment…where in his bed he lay…

to relive some of the memories he collected throughout the day.

And in the morning when he wakes up…

as his eyes becomes accustomed to the light

he pauses a moment to wonder 

what memories he will take to bed that night

The longer I live the more I am grateful for certain things 

I hear,

touch,

taste

smell

and see…

And by how just being in their presence…

they can awaken a memory.