January 12, 2007

• Blessed With Memories

  When I was young I was blessed to share many wonderful memories with my family, not only at the old homestead my grandmother speaks about in her recent post... but also at my Aunt Kathi's old lake house. It was a lovely house on the banks of Shawnee Lake in Jamestown, Ohio. Every Friday my mother would drive to the lake to spend time with Kaggi (Kathi) And Vovo (Uncle Virgil) I couldn't really pronounce their names as a baby so that is what I would call them "Kaggi and Vovo." And I still call them that till this day. There nicknames have evolved a bit since then however... sometimes I call them Kagmo and Vo, lol... but it's all the same. My favorite place in the world was on that lake, there was so many fun things to do. We would water ski and go boating... jet skiing and fishing were a favorite. Sometimes I would stay the weekend, and in the morning you would be awakened by the smell of sausage gravy and biscuits.. Mmmm, and they were the best in the world!

  There was a water slide in the middle of the lake that my cousin Brybry (Bryan) would take me down. I would sit on his lap as we slid fast down the slide, oh it was so much fun! I miss it so much. When I was real little I used to play with water in the sink, I would make such a mess! My aunt Kaggi would have to stand there and put her foot on the wheel of the chair to keep it steady as a played. Or sometimes I would sit on the pool table and push the balls into the pockets (which my cousins friends did not seem to like... considering my cousin would set me up there in the middle of a game. But it was a good excuse to stop playing when he was losing!) MawMaw (my great grandmother Mary) was there too. There is not a day that goes by that I don't miss her. God rest her soul.

  I have so many fond memories on that lake... the foundation of what I have grown to love was there. Family, nature, animals, swimming, fishing and basketball. Those memories will stay with me for a lifetime... the smell of freshly plucked and eaten apples... the taste of sausage gravy and biscuits in the morning. It has all made a wondrous impact on my life and someday I hope that I can do the same for my children.

  I was just talking about that with a friend the other night... what I wanted for my future. And I thought of that lake house. And then I thought of my grandmother's old homestead. I want to give my children the magic that I discovered in those places... I want to show them the beauty of life and nature that I discovered first hand. I pray that they can enjoy those simple pleasures and find what I found in it... I found happiness. Not only was there happiness... but there was excitement and joy... and the only thing that made all of that special was my family. Without them it would have meant nothing. I thank God that I had a wonderful family to share those memories of fun and love with... I thank God every day for it. And I hope to give my children the same thing if not more.

  I want my future to feel good like my childhood used to... I want to spend time on a lake again, I want to swim, boat, fish, jet ski, water ski again... I want to share that with the family that I will someday make. I want a big lake house with a wraparound deck overlooking the water. I want a hot tub and a pool table. Is it wrong to want such things? I have worked hard in school and I am a straight "A" student... I have a full scholarship to a local college where I will be taking classes soon. Is it wrong to want these things and get them because I can? No... Because I have earned them?. Is it so wrong of me to want to indulge in these simple pleasures that I once had? No.. it's not wrong, nor shallow... I have earned my right to have the best. And I will have it.

   

  • 4:30 am
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