It's funny. When certain times of the year arrive that evoke a very vivid memory, you can't help but go with it and let it take you where it will. Sometimes for good, and other times for much deeper reasons.
It's been three months since my father passed away. Each little "first" has been difficult. First Thanksgiving without him, first Christmas season now. My parent's anniversary came and went (would have been their sixty-first!). His birthday will bring memories of cakes gone by, and the silly way we always sang on them, and cut them with two people holding the knife. Each holiday, or time of the year that meant something special to my father will be ingrained upon my heart.
What kind of memories does this time of the year bring to you? Do you still smell the scents of baking, hear the fading of the Christmas carols from long past? Does an old ornament bring feelings of joy? For we all have them...good and bad...memories and stories of times that we once knew.
This time of the year is particularly vivid for our senses. The crisp feel of the cold air on a snowy morning. The twinkling of lights on a still, dark night. Old recipe cards long-stained from years of baking. A special decoration that tugs at your heart; and the memory of the first time you helped place it in just the right spot.
Not everyone grew up in a loving home. There are some who may feel a sense of sadness at this time of the year for what might have been. But it doesn't need to stop there. We can break the chains that bind us; we have the power to make new memories and re-tell those stories but now with a much happier ending.
Celebrate, my friends! Know that time does heal wounds, deep scars and sadness. Though other events will take their place in our lives, we all can grow and change. We all can make new memories for our children and grandchildren. We can give them what we never had. And we can give them the gift of the simpler stories from times past. Old and new. Let's tell the stories that mold our lives.
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