Stranger
I met a
stranger today.
I had a
strange sense that I knew her somehow.
Slowly
she walked towards the edge of a forest,
To the
beginning of a dirt path.
Captivated
by the mysterious stranger, I walked behind her
As the
path snaked deeper and deeper into the forest.
The forest
was unfamiliar – cold and unfriendly.
Tangles
of limbs hung menacingly from towering trees.
The
underbrush so thick that even the sounds were heavy and muffled.
The
path that began as smooth and level steadily became rockier,
Becoming
so steep I crawled and slipped in some places.
But
that stranger – I knew her. I had to keep going.
Gradually
her pace quickened, until I was struggling to keep up.
I
called to her to wait, but she didn’t seem to hear.
Finally
she stopped walking, and I ran to catch up to her.
She
embraced me like she was a long lost friend.
So
familiar.
Then
she stepped back, and I looked into her face.
She
looked back at me with empty eyes that I no longer knew.
There
was a coldness about her now.
She
glanced around us,
And we
both realized she had led me in too far.
She
told me I could let her go, and find my way back on my own.
I
wanted to stay – but this forest was overtaking me.
I
wanted to let go, but I needed to know who she was.
Afraid
of the answer, I asked “who are you?”
Quietly
she answered, with a hollow voice.
Even
the forest grew still, as if straining to hear.
“My
name is grief. And this is the forest of what used to be,
And what
never will be.
Only I
can remain here. You must find your way back.
We will
meet again, as we have before.
In
places you won’t expect to see me.
You
will try to follow me, but you do not belong here.
Go.
Until
we meet again.”
Here is a link to some of Granddaddy's sermons that I have uploaded. I will add more as I get them transferred. :)
Brother Jimmy Cook's sermons
For Mother’s Day this year, my gift for my mom was
transferring our old home videos from VHS to DVD. I knew it would be a lot of work – digging
through years of VHS tapes, trying to separate the precious family videos from
our old recordings of TV shows, etc.
What I didn’t expect was to have so much fun revisiting my
childhood as I watched these tapes. They
contained what you would expect from any family video collection: year after year
of the typical family events. Birthday parties, Christmas mornings, Easter
mornings, recitals, and graduations. But there were also videos of us not
really doing much of anything. Just riding our bikes, playing in the yard,
swimming, licking the brownie bowl, and putting on our very own talent shows
with our friends.
What I certainly didn’t expect was the emotion that came
with watching them. What struck me was
how happy we were. We did not have all
the latest toys, and we certainly didn’t have any high-tech anything (nothing
really existed yet!). But we enjoyed each other, and we loved each other. Obviously
I didn’t just now realize that I had a wonderful childhood with loving parents.
I knew that already, and I like to think I’ve never taken it for granted. But
now I have my own husband and kids. My own family. Which makes me watch from a
different perspective. In these videos, my parents were the same age (or
younger) that I am now.
How very fast that time has flown by. Many of those videos were made 25 to 30 years
ago. And yet it seems like yesterday in my mind. How quickly we grew up as I
fast-forwarded through the years and the memories. How fun to rewind and re-watch funny or
endearing moments. But painful at the same time, knowing that time moves almost
as quickly as my fast-forwarding, without the option of rewinding. Knowing that
just today I made memories with my kids. Were they good, bad, or in
between? What will they remember about
me? What will they see when they look back at old family movies? I can only pray that I will remember what is
important, and not be distracted by all that this world tries to throw at us.
Watching these videos reminds me that the best thing I can
do for my kids is to spend time with them. To really BE there with them, not
distracted by the many things I could be doing instead. Giving them my time and
my undivided attention will make them happier than buying toys or gadgets. That
is what will make the best memories, and what will live on in my children’s hearts. I am
grateful to my parents for not filling our home with stuff – but filling it with love
instead. And my goal is to do the same
for my children.
It's been so long since I've posted anything, I thought I'd kick start things with some quotes from some of my favorite kiddos.
These are things that my niece, nephews, and my oldest child have said and done throughout the past few years, that we thought were funny enough to write down at the time.
Stay tuned for more from the younger ones as they start talking more. Especially the 2014 babies, Luke, Nate, and Ellie. I have a feeling they are going to have a lot to say. :)
Jack, when asked how many children he was going to have: "I don't know how many babies I will have, but I am marrying with Katie and Shane."
From Em: Oliver told me that he was going to make me decaf pears with cocoa so I could be wide asleep and not get cold.
While taking a walk with Clare and Eli, Clare wanted to push the stroller. She looked up at me and said, "Katie, aren't you proud that I can push your big chubby baby up this hill?"
Clare, after referring to Eli as a chubby baby: “I used to think that chubby meant cute and sweet. Now I know that it just means really fat.”
Oliver: “We don’t eat poop… just hot dogs.”
April: “Clare, why do you have paint on your face?”
Clare: “Because I'm an artist. And artists get dirty.”
Eli: “More cheese”
Me (in an attempt to correct him): “Please may I have more cheese?”
Eli: “Okay!”
From mom: Oliver just opened the dishwasher and said he needs to fold dishes.
After a conversation with Pop about the scars on his knees, Clare reported to Gram that he had had surgery. Gram asked her if she knew what surgery was, to which she promptly and confidently replied, "yep! That's when they ga-pow ya!"
Mom brought home Chinese food one day after work. When she walked in with dinner, Sam came running up and asked if she had "the China food." A few minutes later, with a very concerned look on his face, Sam said, "Gram, did you miss me?" Assuming that he meant did she miss him while she was at work, she said, "I sure did, buddy!" He responded, "Should you have gone all the way to China, then?"
Eli (holding flash card): “What’s this?”
Me: “An apple.”
Eli: “There ya go!”
Me: "Sam, what's on your finger?"
Sam: "Dirt. I'm going to eat it."
Me: "You're not supposed to eat dirt."
Sam: "It's ok. I'm pretending it's something I can eat... like a booger."
Oliver: “Sleep will feel me better.”
Sam: "Is Nate a boy's name?"
April: "Yes."
Sam (looking confused): "Is Nate a boy?"
April: "Yes, he is."
Sam (with a sigh): "Okay. I'll let Katie know."
From Em: Oliver told me yesterday after his nap that he “fell awake.”
Me: “Eli, where is the grey block?”
Eli: “Right there!” (holding grey block)
Me: “Good job! That’s grey!”
Eli (pointing to my hair): “Hair?” :\
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