RIDING THE WAVES UNTIL A SUNNY DAY

Political Games

(Barf)  

What we need...


We need Him to calm the waters!

 I can only liken what is happening in our country  to being out in a bad storm at sea. We are in desperate need of some calmness, balance, and common sense in our nation so we can regain our equilibrium (sanity). We need a good Anchor. I, for one, will be glad to see the backside of the political mess of 2020. Rant over.๐Ÿ˜‰


The Fires

My heart is with those of you who are experiencing or seeing first hand the devastation of the fires. Those of you who are worried about the quality of air you are breathing, your families, your homes, the landscape and the wildlife. Our own worries, frettings, and inconveniences pale in the light of what you are living every second of every day. May God give you courage and the strength to endure.๐Ÿ’–




He calmed the storm to a whisper. (Psalm 107)



Memories


My mother, who is 93, takes more and more trips down memory lane  as we talk each night on the phone. Last night she was recalling how, as a youngster, she used to roll the gum  from spruce trees and chew it. My immediate reaction was "euuuu". She said, no, really, it was good tasting. That launched a discussion on penny candy and what kinds were her favorites, and, a bit about her life as a child. My mother has lived her whole life on an island and in the same cove, just in two different houses. Sometimes, as a small child in her neighborhood or  'the cove'  she was treated every so often to penny candy by her very strict father. A neighbor, just across the way, sold various staples in her house with a selection of penny candy. She could recall what her favorites were and how happy those treats made her. Times were hard then, depression years. Being an only child she had to work hard in the garden, helping with a blind grandmother who lived with them, and taking care of chickens and their workhorse, Larry. Both her parents worked outside the home. She was expected to have a hot meal waiting for them when they arrived home. She had a lot of responsibility from a very young age for an only child.  There was the school thing. Homework. There were no school buses. Walking was a way of life for getting where you needed to be.  Her father owned a car but she rarely got to ride in it. The lower grades were close enough for little legs but she also walked the 6 miles to middle and high school, each way, every day! I cannot imagine that kind of life!! Especially walking across the causeway in Winter. After she married my father and the several years before they started their family, she worked side by side with him as a fisherman's wife.  They lived with her parents until they had enough money to buy a small 6 room house. It was just over the hill from her parents so I can remember what it was like to have my grandparents as part of my daily life.  My grandmother was a dear but I was a bit afraid of my grandfather. He had a short fuse but he showed me nothing but love.



Mom's high school graduation picture.

A MEMORY OF MY OWN.


I can remember (as a youngster) walking across the brook by our house and walking through the woods to an elderly lady's house (Hattie Sawyer) who had a little store in her big front room. She seemed to always have just what you needed. I had a little list my mother had given me and I was also given a dime to spend on penny candy of my choice. I remember the walk and the happiness of being given the opportunity to get away from my mother and brothers.  The path had a section that was elevated up on the cliffs. On the way back home I would procrastinate as long as I dared without getting into trouble with Mom. I would stop, sit on the lichen covered rocks enjoying my candy and daydreaming as I watched the waves of the ocean swells down below or fishing boats hauling their pots in the distance. The noisy gulls would be flying around the boats waiting for the old bait coming their way as the lobster fisherman filled a fresh bait pocket with herring, attached it inside the trap/pot before slipping it overboard and moving on to the next brightly colored buoy. I did the store walk many times.  I remember all that but for the life of me I cannot remember what my favorite penny candy was! It's been driving me crazy. If Mom can remember hers why can't I remember mine?! ๐Ÿ’–




 

Comments

  1. Dear Susan, as I read your posting about your mom's memories and yours, I found myself wondering where you live. At some point in the last few months, you left a comment on my blog. I've been remiss in following up and am doing so now. I so remember the penny candy of my youth and the wax "red lips" we could buy and the little wax bottles with a sip--and it truly was just a wee sip--of some colored water inside. Hope all is well for you and for your mother. How wonderful to talk with her each day. My mom died when I was 32 and she was 58. I miss her still. Peace.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Dee, for your comment! You ask where I live. Well. I am presently spending the Winter with my mother. She needs some assistance and I promised my Dad before he died, 3 years ago,but that I would take care of her. I found a caregiver for her last Summer and I was able to return home to Bethlehem, PA to my husband, 2 cats and two dogs as well as the rest of the family, for 5 months.. I am 71 so am at a place where I seek harmony and contentment in my life. I am a firm believer in the Trinity and read my bible often. I miss my pastor and church family! I hope that you will visit my blog again!๐Ÿ’–

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Susan, I've been away from blogging for about three months and am only now returning to those I want to follow. I hope to do my first posting since early March at the end of May. I celebrated my 85th birthday in April and am finding that I'm letting go of trying to do several things each day. Now, if I get three things done, I'm overjoyed. I h ope your mother is well. Peace.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you so much for your lovely comments! And if I do not always leave a reply please know that I read and treasure each one.๐Ÿ’–

Popular posts from this blog

SUMMER IS BEAUTIFUL

HEALTH IS WEALTH