A Recess for Remembering

When I turned 50...I took an outing of sorts ...drove through parts of three states, and remembered things that I cannot afford to forget. Maybe if I write them down.

I traveled to celebrate all of my sisters, each in turn, spent a day with my parents, and some time...their choice, with each of my children, then some of my good friends hosted a surprise party for me, my sweet husband made me a cake that year...

and I even went back to Southwest Elementary to visit my first grade classroom.

In 1958, I begged my parents to let me stay home and listen to Peter and the Wolf...I knew that I could learn to read and write and study on my own...at home...but they knew ahead of me that I would soon have a collection of great friends, they could forsee recess and the amazing marble player that I would become.

In first grade I listened to Mrs. Horne quote a verse from the Bible everyday and it endeared me to quotes and thoughts and words as we listened while eating graham crackers and pulling the paper caps off our small glass milk bottles.

It was Ann Snow that taught me how to stay in the lines with crayons bigger than any of us and Raymond W. that smiled at me across the whole room whenever I turned around to see if he was! Funny how life repeats itself and how many people teach and entertain us as we live it!

I cut out a leaf in September, I colored a pumpkin in October, a turkey in November, a Christmas tree in December, I traced a silloutte of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington in January, made a Valentine's Box in February, colored a kite in March (just a little one to look at...it didn't really fly), an umbrella in April, glued macaroni on a Flower (soup can) in May for Mother's day. I learned words like Dick and Jane and Sally and Spot and Mother and Father. Look, Look, and Go and See and I loved to read those words because then I could choose and take home my very own library book and the first one I chose was called: Peanuts the Pony. I visited that first home and looked at the trees I used to climb all those summers ago. Each season, each month, each year, has highlights and colors that can make us smile.

And I must say that life has been very good to me. I guess I was thinking about all of that during this Thanksgiving week. I have much to be Thankful for: Family. Friends. Food. Scriptures, Colors, Words, and Running. Life is full of Wonderful People and Ideas and a recess for remembering every now and then.