It’s 7 AM on a snowy Thursday morning, a vacation day where I should be sleeping in and relaxing, but for some reason, I am wide awake. For the first time in a long time, I feel the urge to write again.
Standing at the window, hot cup of Lipton’s Honey & Lemon Tea in my hand, I am looking at the beautiful snow that has fallen over Kentucky this morning. Today, for some reason I am reminded of the snowy days of my youth, especially those when the snow prevented the out-of-town teachers from making it to Mosby and we would have a Snow Day.
Unlike these days when snow days are common in the winter months, a snow day for a small town school like mine was very uncommon. Since 95% of the students of our small little school were within walking distance, there were no worries about the cars sliding all over the road or into the ditch. All you did was put on your snow boots, bundle up a little more, and trudge off thru the snow for the 1 or 2 block walk to school. Along the way, you stop and pick up snow, throw it at your brother, best friend, or your worst enemy. (If it was your worst enemy you made sure to add a little slush to the snowball to make it sting a little more)
Snow days at school were a mixed bag of treats….depending on whether you had your real teacher or a substitute the County School Board sent. And if your real teacher had a hard time getting to the school, you just never knew what to expect….more times than not though, they seemed to get into the spirit. Instead of hard-core school work, we would spend a couple of hours listening as they would read to the class from a carefully chosen book meant to reflect the time of the year. I remember having an abridged version of Dicken’s A Christmas Carol read some many times, that by the time I reached 8th grade I could recite it by heart. If we were lucky and it was a Music Day, we would sing only Christmas Carols by request….most of them the old classics.
Those memories are fond ones….and ones I wish my children could enjoy themselves. Christmas doesn’t seem to carry the same naïve (and simple) enjoyment that it did long ago. Yes, it has become more commercialized and more about gifts than the true meaning of the season. But it’s more than that….when I was young it was always about family get-togethers and dinners meant to stuff you silly. Everyone forgot about what they fought about and grudges/annoyances were put aside, even if just for the moment. We reminded ourselves we were all human, and the frailties that made us do things to those we loved most were just silly events to be forgotten or forgiven.
But these days things are not so simple and we seem to be not so forgiving. To forgive someone means to let go of the wrong that may have been done and never to bring it to their attention. Maybe it’s just me, but we have seemed to have lost that character trait that is the most admirable of all. And it seems that we have taught our children to never forgive and never forget….because that wrong becomes useful in validating our anger we never want to let go of. But by doing that, we’ve seemed to have let a little of our humanity slip away.
How do we get back to being a little more human…..a little less angry……a little more forgiving? I wish I had the answer, because it would make me a wealthy man. But before I go about trying to fix the ills of others, a little self-reflection is definitely in order.
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This has been a very interesting year for me and my family…one filled with many ups and downs. For me, the year started out great….my daughter finally convinced me to join Facebook amidst all my grumbling about it’s popularity and I regret I didn’t do it sooner. I have connected with many of my former classmates, friends, and co-workers and it’s great to see what we have all become. But even better is that I have connected with cousins on both sides of my family that I had lost touch with at some point in our lives. It is painful to admit, but my family (both sides of it) will never be accused of being a close-knit group. When I was very young, the Christmas Eve gathering at Mamaw and Papaw’s was always something to look forward to. We would gather for dinner and once all was cleared and cleaned up, the gifts were opened. Each child could be assured that they would have plenty to open, and part of the joy was the anticipation of who got what gift that was under the tree. When it came time to open gifts, Papaw would position himself in his favorite chair, his rocker, which was a sign it was time to hand out presents. Usually one or two of the kids were appointed as the “gift hander-outer” as each person eagerly awaited to see what was theirs. I don’t ever remember a time I was disappointed in what I received…maybe it was because we were thankful for anything we received.
But somewhere along the way our families drifted apart…..and as cousins we were no longer close. I hated that, because each and every one of my cousins brought something special into my life. You see, whenever my Mom was sick and had to be hospitalized, my brothers and I would sometimes spend time with Aunts and Uncles….Aunt Billie and Uncle Ernie on my Dad’s side, and Aunt Judy and Uncle Jay on my Mom’s side. Each visit with them would bring something special in it’s own way. And funny thing was….even though in some cases I was much younger than my older cousins, they always made me feel welcome and never a hindrance. For Sherry, Gary and Terri Dawn….you’ll never know how much it meant that you never made me feel out of place, even though our being there interrupted your normal life. For Terry and Chris….the memories are still fresh in my mind of your farm just outside of St. Joe and the times we spent in the Ranger’s Tower your Dad built there.
For all my cousins on Facebook….I am glad we reconnected, even if in just this simple way. I hope this is just a first small step towards getting to know each other again. We may never live as close as we once did, but I hope the distance doesn’t keep us from closing gap that our parents put between us.
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One of the more interesting aspects of Facebook is getting a glimpse into the lives of people we may never have had any communication with had it not been for the electronic age marvel. I am glad that I have connected with so many people who have been a part of my life at one time or another. Each of you enriched my life and helped me grow….so in the spirit of the season I am going to steal an original idea so many columnists have done and hand out “Christmas Wishes” for some of my friends:
To Ron, Nan, Braden & Brennan….much love and strength and success with Connor’s Song.
To Kevin M….may your voice be heard by politicians everywhere. Maybe next time the elections will be all about the issues, not the candidates mud-slinging.
To Shaun and Rachel P………many blessings in your life together. May your love grow greater every day and be as strong when you are 80 as it was when you began your life as husband and wife
To Coach Michael, Coach Bush and Coach Bonuchi….my eternal thanks for being there in a point in my life when I needed guidance. I would not be the person I am without the wisdom and strength you gave me when I was young.
To Terri W-W…..the gift of the eternal youth you seem to already have. How is it that you look the same as when you were younger?
To my friends who are Breast Cancer Survivors……a big Pink Ribbon…..and many more years of good health. May we someday soon find a cure.
To all my Mosby friends…may you have continued fond memories of our growing up in our small town.
To those who have lost a loved one this year…..love, comfort and healing to fill the hole in your heart that is always there when someone you love passes.
To those struggling with health issues…..may you gain strength to fight whatever you are struggling with and beat it.
To my Nieces and Nephews…..patience while you try to understand your Parents, Aunts and Uncles. Someday you will be just like us and your kids will look at you the same way you look at us.
To my Sisters….patience while you try to understand your brothers.
To my Father….strength to continue to fight. I know the struggle is tough and the temptation to quit is there, but resist it.
To my Brothers….my unconditional love. There is nothing greater I could give you and you deserve nothing less.
To my Son….a world that understands the illness that you live with daily. And love and compassion for those that can’t understand you.
To my daughter….all the dreams you have to come true. And the wisdom to prepare for life in case they don’t.
To my wife….patience to wait for your husband to grow up.
And to everyone else….may you be richly blessed with that which you desire most…but more than anything else, may you have love.
