"One day at a time--this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful it will be worth remembering.”
Remembrances from a life filled with joy, love, and laughter... and enough pain to ensure humility~
Monday, May 29, 2017
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
A Walk in the Rain
Once, when I was unusually stressed, my
doctor said, “Peggy, do you ever take an early morning walk in the rain?” Rolling my eyes and scanning my memory, I said,
“I used to – a long time ago.”
“Try it again,” he said. “It’ll do wonders
for you.”
When I went out this morning to run an
errand, the skies were gray and rain was falling softly. As I drove along, almost
hypnotized by the windshield wipers, I
thought about what the doc had said long-ago and about the walks in the rain
that I had let go of so easily.
Life got in the way of simple pleasures
like that one.
Pulling over to the curb, I parked, rolled
my window down and breathed deeply. The
sweet fragrance of the morning rain brought back many memories and I knew instantly I had to take one of those
walks I’d dismissed as something I didn’t have time for years ago.
Out of the car, I was at once a child again! I sauntered right through a couple of puddles,
ignoring the fact that my feet were getting soaked and I closed my umbrella for
a few minutes, looked upward and let the rain pepper my face.
It was wonderful!
By the time I got home, it was clearing and
the sun was trying to peep through the clouds. I was almost disappointed!
As I put my purchases away, I smiled – feeling like I had a beautiful secret!
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Mother’s Laughter
My
mother’s laughter was infectious – like a cheerful tune that lingers in your
mind for the rest of the day. Like a yawn that starts a chain reaction causing everyone else in the room to yawn.
She laughed often. It didn’t take much to
amuse her: the antics of a young child, a puppy or kitten tickled her funnybone
causing her to laugh joyfully and everyone within hearing distance felt an urge
to laugh with her.
They say we all have a talent. Although she
had others, the ability to make people laugh was one of the most significant.
She was a good singer, too. It ran in her
family. Her sister and three brothers all sang beautifully. Nothing pleased me
more as a child than to be there when she and her siblings got together for a songfest
or to hear her singing while she did her housework. Unfortunately, I didn’t
inherit her vocal chords. I was pretty sure of that fact from the get-go, but
it was confirmed when I was once singing with the radio while doing my
housework and my dog started barking at me. I loved to sing but the only place
I dared was when I was alone in my car with all the windows up. I’d put my
favorite CD on the player, turn the volumn up and sing to my heart’s content.
Sometimes I’d take the long way home just so I could sing longer. J
I loved my mother but we couldn’t have been
more different. I used to wonder if she might possibly have taken the wrong
baby home from the hospital until I learned that I was born at home.
Clobbered that theory!
I never liked the clothes she picked out
for me either. How angry I used to get when she made me wear things I hated just
because they suited her!
For
example, she always made me wear a beret on Easter and other dress-up
occasions. She was so skillful at matching the color of a beret to my dress or
coat perfectly every time! And the way she pulled the tight bands of those
things down on my forehead almost to my eyebrows made me feel like my head was
in a straight jacket. In retrospect, I think I must have looked like a woman
who arches her eyebrows too high, causing her to look surprised. I was convinced if
I sneezed or coughed hard, the beret would go flying across the room and smack
someone in the face. As soon as we were in the car heading home, I’d yank it
off as fast as possible, leaving an itchy, red mark on my forehead for the rest
of the day. When I was old enough to wear what I pleased, I never looked at
another beret! :)
Yes, we were different, and that made for some interesting times. As I grew up and struggled to be my own person, we had many heated arguments, but she usually won. My respect for her wouldn’t allow me to go very long without apologizing. To be completely honest, I feared her, too!
Yes, we were different, and that made for some interesting times. As I grew up and struggled to be my own person, we had many heated arguments, but she usually won. My respect for her wouldn’t allow me to go very long without apologizing. To be completely honest, I feared her, too!
God
doesn’t make mistakes! He gave me a strong will, and then blessed me with a
mother who would temper it. Just as He uses adversity to refine us and make us
stronger, my mother combined just the right mix of nurturing and discipline to
shape my character.
She was everything a mother should be:
loving, intelligent, beautiful – inside and out, God-fearing and more.
I miss her every day of my life.
(the above picture is not me)
www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton
(the above picture is not me)
www.amazon.com/author/peggytoneyhorton
Friday, May 12, 2017
Quote
“Like a dying ember, the child in us can flare
up again when least expected." ~Peggy Toney Horton
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)