Life lately.

I found this picture on an old photobucket account from many years ago and it made me realize how fast time truly does pass.  Some days pass that I do not think about the importance of cherishing everyday that I am blessed with.  I look back at these pictures of my sweet babies and remember that sometimes 4 years....or 9 years... or even 23 years, really can pass like moments in a movie and if these moments are not appreciated then what good are they?  I hope that every single person grasps the importance of these memories and holds on to them forever.


My purpose for this blog stems from nothing but pure internal pleasure.  I began thinking about the most important moments of my life recently and considered the fact that almost every one of them up until a few years ago was documented somewhere; whether it be a calendar, an old journal (which I had hundreds of), a diary, letters on paper, or old reciepts, there was always something to look back upon and remember those precious moments and I miss that idea.  I have no desire to post anything that I write to the public and could careless if anyone on the planet reads what I have to say, BUT I also have no shame in sharing anything I write because for the most part, I want this to be a celebration of the lives that have had such a strong part of molding me into the young lady that I am proud to be today--for the most part, my family. 


I chose the name for this blog because when I think about what is genuinely important to be I am instantly taken back to the home in which I grew up in.  When I close my eyes I can still smell the warm scent of the wood that the house is built from and hear the sounds of bumble bees swarming around the bird feeders in the dead heat of July.  A great portion of the most beloved of my memories involve this home.  I can recall the moment when I was around five years old and it was sometime in the summer.  After a long day of playing outside, which was WHAT we did everyday, dawn til dusk, my sweet mom called us in for dinner.  Simon and I would run inside with our dirty feet and chow down, only to return back outdoors shortly after eating.  I can still hear my mom opening the back door and walking out onto the porch.  When I think back, I can always remember my mom and dad simply being there.  I cannot think of a single childhood memory that does not involve them.  They were my rock and always our best friends.  They would watch us play, join in with us, fix us drinks, rig up sticks to make slingshots, anything to make our childhood special.  On this particular night though, my mom called us to the porch swing to sit with her.  Simon and I laid our heads in her lap and stared out into the night.  A warm summer night in the country is not like anything you will ever experience in probably any other place on the Earth.  The LACK of many things is what makes it so calming.  Still, to this day, if I am feeling overwhelmed or anxious about anything I can close my eyes and think back to our many summer nights on the porch swing and feel a silent calm come over my body.  Those nights will never be forgotten or loose their value to me, they are what shaped me.  As Simon and I lay on my Mom's lap, listening to the night, we started to see the slow, warm glow of Lightning Bugs as the sun drifted just below the horizon.  Since my parents were always present in my life as I mentioned, my daddy knew what this meant and of course, came running out to us with our imfamous mason jars (which in the country are such a multi-use object HA!) As a family we would spend our evening running around chasing lightning bugs with our mason jars and enjoying our time with each other.  It took me many years to appreciate something as small as catching Lightning Bugs in Mason Jars to be completely honest.  When you're growing up you don't realize the impact that your actions will have on who you become, but let me tell you, as I look back on my life, I can honestly say with happy tears in my eyes, that I have been blessed beyond measure.  A lot of this is due to the choices that were made for me when I was too young or too stubborn and sometimes to stupid to make for myself and for that, I have my family to thank.  I will never forget the excitement that showed in our eyes when we would finally capture one of the lightning bugs and watch it's soft, warm glow radiate inside the jar and the joy we shared when we released them as well.  


Lightning bugs will always take me back there.......