Thoughts

I've been thinking this morning. Now I know a bunch of people who would say, “OMG! Watch out she's thinking again”. They are probably right cause since I was a youngun' too much thinkin' always got me in trouble. Usually I took somebody with me so they are leery!

What I am thinking this morning is different though. It is reflective thoughts. Yep I have em'!

One of them this morning put me in to deep thought. Why in the world does it take us many years sometimes to appreciate and enjoy some things we have heard. I said heard, because it seems we hear, but don't learn. If that don't make sense to you I'm'a'gonna' try and explain.

I love the fall of the year but never thought to consider why. After all these years I finally know and appreciate the why.

When I was a kid and we and went to Ozark in the fall of the year, on the way home there was a hill that you just came upon. The trees would all be changing and my Mama would say, “Just look at those trees up there, all the colors. Don't it just look like a big bouquet?” What in the world is she talking about I always thought. “Oh Mama that's just trees, how could it be a bouquet of flowers”. I thought she was just being silly. “Clydene you can see bouquets anywhere if you just look, she'd say. Can't you see how pretty that is?” Well of course I couldn't see nothing but a bunch of trees then. Mama loved the colors of fall. Now I realize that is the reason I get such a cozy feeling when the trees start changing. I'm most certainly seeing my Mama enjoy it. Takes me back to wonderful times.

One thing I never got used to at the time was the color yellow. Mama thought I looked good in yellow. She dressed me in a lot of yellow. I didn't mind when I was younger. Heck I really didn't much care if it was any ol' putrid color. Didn't matter to me either way. When I was old enough to care though I didn't like yellow. Anything but yellow but please not yellow. Well it took me a lot of years but the past few I have just started to love the color yellow. Mama used to tell me that I looked like a ray of sunshine in yellow. Now I appreciate yellow and every time I wear yellow I remember Mama. I suspect I was just being contrary when I argued about yellow but I never got the chance to say “Mama I love yellow, Thank you for dressing me in yellow”. Memories are made of things like this. Every time I think of a ray of sunshine I remember Mama's sweet face. A treasure she gave me.

Mama was not one to stick up for herself. She would let anyone just walk all over her and take it. She taught me to turn the other cheek and get along with every one. But Daddy, on the other hand, would say, “Don't start a fight, try to get away from it, but don't let anyone think they can push you around either. If they keep pushing you have to defend yourself. If you don't they will just keep picking on you”. Both my Mama's and my Daddy's advice hung with me. I'm feisty, but will not look for or provoke trouble.

When I was putting on my shoes and socks this morning I could just see and feel Daddy teaching me how to put them on and tie them up. He taught me by putting on the right foot first. There is no way in the world I can put my left shoe and sock on first. Can't do it! Has to be the right foot because Daddy taught me that way. Habit? Yes probably. But how do we learn these habits? Think about it.

Same with our favorite foods. They are our favorites because we grew up that way. No one in the world will ever be able to fry chicken and make biscuits like my Mama. Not even me. But fried chicken and biscuits brings my Mama back to me. I see her standing at that old cook stove frying that chicken and I can smell those buttermilk biscuits baking the oven.

Good times are what memories are made of in our childhoods. I can remember some hard times too, but they just don't out weigh my good memories. I'm so happy I realize what made and forever keeps these memories in my heart.