A series of essays.....
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| ON OUR WAY TO FRANCE LAST YEAR IN SEPTEMBER A BEAUTIFUL TIME TO TRAVEL |
.....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
After being together for over forty-four years, some
partners will say that it's often the little things about their relationship
that are remembered most fondly. An unforgettable kiss. The familiar 'cuddle
time' before saying good night. A surprise present...just because. A heartfelt
hug when you're feeling blue. The warmth of a hand reaching out for yours as you
walk side-by-side.
Several times a year, we pull-out the prized vinyl LP's
and randomly place them on the turntable and sing every syllable of each song as
if we'd written the lyrics ourselves. The rhythm floats through our bodies and we
dance with wild abandon as though our small 'tribe of two' will part the heavens
above and bring peace to the entire land! Never underestimate the power of
togetherness...or, the power of music, for that matter. A good song will always
take you back home.
By celebrating and holding close to our hearts what are
perceived to be the little things that transpire day-by-day, we are summoning
the glue, the stability that holds a relationship together for the long haul.
When times become difficult and impossible to cope with, our subconscious can
and will become focused on the journey rather than a fleeting moment of
discontent....even though it may not seem like it at the time. We can and will
survive.
Marriage is like a tossed garden salad contained within
an opaque glass bowl, Impenetrable by light, neither transparent nor
translucent, keeping it fresh yet open to all possibilities from above. The
dressing on the side, please! As the years progress, you decide together what
ingredients go into the bowl. You may begin with iceberg lettuce and add wild
mixed greens as time goes by. Including onions may be negotiated with a
compromise of scallions reached. One may choose to spice it up with peppercorns
while the other tames it down a notch by adding cool cucumbers. Remembering that
this mix was created by a partnership based on mutual respect and understanding
will be the ticket to a successful dish. And the dressing, well, that's your
individual choice. Some decisions are considered sacrosanct!
Just like the hurricanes that have blown their mighty
winds along our particular path, sometimes changing direction with a wobble here
and a easterly wind there, we must learn to adjust afterward. If there is
damage, we pick-up the pieces. Starting over can be a good thing. Beginning a
new chapter in one's life, whether it be a move to another part of the world, or
adjusting to retirement life, it is important to remember all of the previous
chapters that helped to bring us to where we are today. They can be the solid
foundation that makes the future feel safe and secure no matter how hard the
wind blows.
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| THE RED GARDEN BENCH WE LOVE |
THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COMPRISE A LIFETIME
TOGETHER
They sashay to the rhythm of the world that surrounds
them
Embracing cattails secured from the edges of a marshy
pond
Now cut and jammed into an acid bottle the size of
a
Volkswagen Beetle.....
The ochre-tinged boulder highlights the manufactured
landscape
Providing soap-box appeal to flamboyant young
voices
And Raggedy Ann sings Christmas carols between
hospital
Visits guaranteed to whiten the hair on their
heads.....
Kings must have resided here, they think, walking down
the oak staircase
While children perform plays along the landing in the
grand foyer knowing
Dreams were built here in forms of playhouses and mighty
celebrations and
Dreams were dashed here, for better or for
worse.....
Like ripping pages from an old Floridian vacation
brochure,
Memories of their Sanibel Island escapades flutter in the steamy
breezes
With footsteps large and small impressed into the
seashell tossed
Sand on walks that span and ripple throughout the
decades.....
With hearts beating to multiple drums on game day
while
Bleeding green for all of eternity and wafts of chili
and beer
Penetrate their nostrils with the familiar smells of
autumn,
The children are primed and ready to carry-on familiar
traditions.
Pea-stone beneath their feet breaking the silence with
crunching
Sounds as they proceed to their destination near the
back of the garden.
The bright red bench punctuates the afternoon shadows
that gesticulate
Like two French women overtly animated over a sale at
Tuesday's open market!
White ball gowns trimmed in petite pastel flowers and
swirls of black floral,
Punctuate their lives with love and joy as life proceeds
in a natural order.
Happiness is knowing that your daughters are doing well
and that their lives
Are meaningful with no regrets and a myriad of
possibilities to look forward to.
Hope exists within them like sugar plum wishes as the padding of
Little feet across the wooden floors
happily extend the ritualistic reading of 'The Night Before Christmas' for years
to come on one of the most hallowed evenings of the
Year that is certain to bring a morning of oohs and aahs
and youthful smiles.
The charm of September takes their breath away
remembering a
Special Day so long ago in a land mostly forgotten; out
of mind.
Land of parents and school friends and remembering
rites of passage
While always knowing that time and ambition would take them
away....
While warm breezes still sweep across their memories and
the crispness of
Autumn lingers around the corner, they celebrate a long
and prosperous life
Together since, what seems like, time out of mind,
passing their memories
Down to the Little Ones who still clamour for attention
and knowledge.*
*To Be Continued....
Happy Anniversary to my Best Friend, Dan: September 15,
2017.
Copyright © 2017 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
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