TICKETS TO IMPORTANT NEW IDEAS AND ADVENTURES

 

A series of essays….

HOLIDAY REFLECTIONS

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

While the dust was still settling and all of the packages, large and small and everything in between, had been torn open with squeals of joy and delight, my daughter and I had a moment to sit down, relax, talk, and express our relief at making it successfully through another Christmas. Buying gifts for mature children and grandchildren can be much more stressful than purchasing toys for when they were younger. This was something I recalled with my own children as teenagers, even though there’s been a substantial amount of time between experiences.

The hot tea I was enjoying was discovered in my Santa stocking moments before and was a fine blend of caramel, vanilla, and black tea that truly hit the spot. Ali settled for a tall glass of ice water with her feet resting comfortably on the ottoman that resides in front of the brown, leather couch. Ahh, it’s so nice to put my feet up and do absolutely nothing for a few minutes, she said. And, you wholeheartedly deserve a rest, I replied. Between working full time, raising two teenagers and all that implies, then adding Christmas shopping and wrapping into the mix this time of year—it feels special to just be able to sit and talk with you.      

Everyone else had made a point to take the dogs out for a nice, long walk after dinner. And, even though the sky was steely gray and offered no signs of improvement throughout the day, its cool, overcast effect wrapped us in a wintery embrace even without the much anticipated snowfall on Christmas Day. We were satisfied to be together, to share laughter, eat a lovingly prepared meal, and see the movie Wonka at the KP Cinema downtown later in the evening. 

Eric and I put a lot of thought into what to get you and dad. We knew it had to be special and perfect and so we threw many ideas out there before making a final decision, Ali said, as she shifted the position of her legs on the cozy ottoman. Finally, we decided on your tickets for a play at the Wharton Center. Sorry you have to wait until May, though.

That doesn’t bother me in the least, I said. What a great way to appreciate a walk through the MSU  campus in the springtime before the play begins. Looking out of the picture window, I could observe our little tribe making their way back home but now on the opposite side of the street, our dogs leading  the two grandchildren down the hill. What a peaceful moment in time.

Taking another sip of her water, I knew that Ali had something else to say and I closed my eyes to allow her soft words to roll across my presence and offer me their gentle hug. What she had to say next made so much sense to me and has been something her dad and I had been pondering since moving back up to Michigan over five years ago after his retirement.

Mom, I know that you and dad have been trying to rid yourselves of ‘stuff’ over the past few years. Am I right? I nodded my head in full agreement and added a smile for good measure. Well, that was exactly what I was thinking and I said to Eric that instead of ‘stuff,’ you and dad need to be collecting new experiences along the way. My mind was shaking up and down as she spoke. So that was our reasoning for getting you the theatre tickets this year for Christmas.

Ali could not have spoken truer words. Since the move back to Michigan, Dan and I have been putting garage sale items in boxes down in the basement with the idea of having a huge sale this coming spring. The pile of sale items seems to be growing larger than our ‘keep’ boxes, finally. Ali’s emphasis on collecting experiences over stuff was very much in line with our way of thinking and to have her point this out to me was honest and exciting at the same time.

WE CELEBRATE THE TREES—LARGE, SMALL AND
EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN!

Sweetheart, you are absolutely right! My grin acknowledged the happiness I felt at our daughter’s intuitiveness. She was being very honest and open to vulnerability right then and I listened to her honesty with every fiber of my being. Is it true that the daughter evolves into the mother (offering sage advice) as time rolls along? 

Taking our dog for a long walk is a new adventure each time. Planning a trip out West next year in our new vehicle is fun and exciting to think about. Creating action our primary incentive; keeping the body and mind in motion our main goal. And, yes—minimizing our lives of not only stuff, but everything that tends to bog us down, makes us feel heavy instead of light, inhibits our freedom to come and go at our own pace in time, is a goal worth achieving. 

To have our daughter and son-in-law encourage these actions with the hope of having us collect new experiences each and every day—well, that meant so much to us after opening the handsomely wrapped gift that contained theater tickets to the Broadway show, SIX in May!! 

Right before the troops clamored back inside after their own adventure, I went over to give my daughter a warm hug and said, I love you so much for helping me make sense out of this life, out of growing older and still learning to appreciate what should be important to your dad and me.

I love you both very much and that’s the easy part, she said. We just want to see you happy and not bogged down with fixing up this house 24/7. You and dad have always traveled and taken us on amazing adventures throughout the years. You’ve introduced us to plays and how to discover the importance of doing things while opening our eyes to everything! Thank you for this.

Talk about making one’s heart sing with joy! After our talk, I felt ready for just about anything. Right about then the front door flew open and in came the whole gang, wet dogs and all. Happy, shining Christmas Day faces were depositing shoes in the boot tray and hanging coats on hooks while the dogs were ushered to their own crates to dry off. The bedlam lasted only a few moments and Ali and I walked into the kitchen to organize holiday desserts for everyone to enjoy. 

I love our conversations when time allows us to be open and free. We smiled at one another before calling everyone in after they’d washed their hands and settled down a bit. I felt the joy of having family around me and believed I could take on the world after the time I spent with Ali. Life is good and it’s often after these small moments together that we learn to cherish their importance in our lives.

Bring it on! I am ready to tackle anything this New Year has to offer. Growing older really means opening up to and being alive to new experiences and planning as many as possible along our journey through time.

CLOCKS CELEBRATING 
NEW BEGINNINGS 

Courtesy of Jacquie Lawson

Happy New Year to everyone! Start planning a new experience of your own…today!

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes 

All rights reserved

THE EVERGREEN ON THE HILL

 

A series of essays….

THE NORTHERN RED CARDINAL APPEARS 
AS THE SNOW FLIES AROUND US…

Photo courtesy of acoustimac.com

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

                                                                    

My memories of spending weekends, summers, and holidays on my grandparent’s farm in northern Indiana was the inspiration for my poem, The Evergreen on the Hill. What a lucky kid I was getting to collect fresh eggs in a basket with grandma, ride with grandpa on his green John Deere as he harvested the acres of planted corn, and build snow forts up on the hill with brothers and cousins and top it all off with lengthy snowball fights. Magical!

Grandma would ask us kids to venture into the fenced-in apple orchard to collect fruit to be baked into a pie for our dessert that evening. Being kids, all around the age of ten and younger, we were always up for this interesting challenge. You see, grandpa kept his prize rams in the apple orchard to feed off fallen fruit and be contained and controlled for most of the year. 

The orchard covered several acres and, for the most part, the rams would ignore us and we were able to collect our fruit and haul the baskets back to grandma with visions of giant slabs of apple pie dancing in our heads. Upon one occasion, however, I remember having to scratch my way up a tree in order to avoid a solid charge by a very angry looking ram. The exhilaration was unforgettable. I will say that the slice of grandma’s pie tasted even better that particular evening.

Summertime on the farm conjures up images of working with the farm animals, getting used to the smells that went along with them, harvesting the garden vegetables that grandma would turn into hearty soups and side dishes, and running through the giant stalks of corn at the end of July back when corn was planted a greater distance apart. Today, this would be impossible due to the higher yield expected from each acre of corn and there’s barely inches between stalks.

The story-and-a-half, clapboard farmhouse was painted white and wore black wooden shutters at each window like exotic jewelry framing each mullioned glass face staring back at us. I loved that house. It sat up on a small hill and was completely surrounded by the narrow, gravel drive that was an extension of the two-track lane that outlined the front corn field to one side and the apple orchard on the other side as we turned off from the paved country road on our long drive back to the house.

In the summer the hill served as our very own mountain. All of us kids would roll down it, gathering grass stains on our clothing along the way, until we came to a stop at the gravel drive, climb the mountain, and repeat the thrill once again. In the winter, dressed like Michelin figures, we’d roll the snow into giant balls of various sizes after a heavy snowfall and create our snowman army that would protect our snow fort when we were inside the warm, cozy farmhouse. Stretching high above all of our activity was the trusty evergreen tree standing so proud next to the house and visible from the living room windows.

Here is my tribute to our evergreen soldier standing tall and proud high above us no matter which month, holiday, birthday celebration, or reason we employed to gather beneath her:

                                                    The Evergreen on the Hill

                                                                           Over

                                                                          barren 

                                                                     winter fields

                                                            snow billows and dances.

                                                                        Swirling

                                                               across the gravel lane

                                                      the wind embraces the clapboard 

                                                                      farmhouse:

                                                               black shutters shiver, 

                                                             overhead wires     sway.

                                                    And I see     when  standing on the hill

                                                      beside the majestic evergreen tree

                                  a single cardinal     seeking refuge     from the biting wind.

                             His snow laden perch     vibrates as he     gently shifts his feathered

                                          weight     and sprinkles      the world     In white.

                                                   A single pinecone     photobombs

                                          my crimson friend     offering a new layer to an

                                already perfect scene.     Often, as greenery and the exotic

                           colors of nature fade,     the red cardinal     appears     as the snow

                      flies around us     serving as another     reminder     of its power     of life    

                                                             and the winter season.

                                                                    The Beginning

                                                                    The Beginning

                                                                    The Beginning

             A poem by Jacqueline Hughes, 12/04/‘23

The Christmas Holidays were always my favorite time of year on the farm. There was so much going on at any given moment. Grandma would have the fresh-cut tree, sequestered for years somewhere on the property and chosen first-hand by grandpa to cut down, decorated with what seemed like a thousand colorful baubles collected and gifted throughout the years. The red velvet tree skirt stretched out under the pine landscape but was mostly hidden under beribboned packages she’d been wrapping for weeks. 

The generous aroma of freshly baked cookies, cakes, and golden pies sent our tastebuds into a frenzy of delight with the anticipation of a large ham, stuffed turkey, and roasted chicken yet to come. My mom and aunts were always there to help slice, dice, and mash but always under the close scrutiny of grandma. It was her kitchen and she never let any of us forget it. 

Being a grown-up now for the past many, many years, I take genuine delight in knowing that I’ve incorporated most of these fond memories into my own lifestyle, with my own family. Their dad and I have always taught our girls to be curious, question everything if it helps you to understand something better, and then blend it (or not) into your own life. Be free like the wind! Walk between the cornstalks and get lost—there’s always a way out if you look hard enough. 

Taste the food first before deciding if you like it or not. Walk and play in the giant puddles while the rain pats you on the head and saturates your clothes on a warm summer afternoon. Smile and laugh as often as possible. Build snow forts with your children under the watchful eyes of snowmen. Observe the  cardinal seeking refuge in the majestic evergreen tree and be reminded of its power, of life, and the winter season in our lives we have yet to experience, but know we must—one day.

A very Merry Christmas to all of you! And, may the New Year find you more curious than ever before!

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved

A BIRTHDAY CARD FOR MY CURIOUS DAUGHTER

 

A series of essays….

THE JOY OF GIVING IS VERY SATISFYING — WHETHER IN
SMALL BOXES OR LARGE LIFE LESSONS

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures. A remarkably true statement as far as I am concerned, believing in the fact that the entire world is our oyster which means that we can achieve anything we wish in life or go anywhere because we have the opportunity or ability to do so. Often, having the means to do so can be the challenging factor, but if there is a will—there is always a way. Being inventive, patient, and true to your commitment, in my personal experience, will get you anywhere you’d like to go!

But remember…life can become complicated. Pace yourself. You will know when it is the right time for everything to take place.

When we do arrive at our particular destination with so many adventures to follow, it is not uncommon to feel the spirit of this place embrace us, guide us, and watch over us as we open-up to all of the possibilities ahead. 

After achieving a higher education at Michigan State University and committing to a lifelong relationship with the love of my life, we brought our first daughter into this world when we were twenty-five years old. Alexandria (Ali) was everything and more than we expected to feel and experience from being first-time parents. Partially due to the fact that Dan held a degree in Building Construction Management, we were able to build our first home, a small, gray-sided Cape Cod, in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, and bring our newborn home to her nursery with all of the trimmings and comforts we could provide for her.

By the time Ali turned three, we decided to fly, as a family, to Chicago for a long weekend and provide her with this brief experience of flying and traveling, even if it was only between Lansing and the Windy City! She enjoyed every minute of it, too. And, everyone fell in love with this adorable little blondie with the perpetual smile on her face. 

We visited museums, walked along North Michigan Avenue (the Magnificent Mile), introduced her to that side of Lake Michigan in nearly every way possible before boarding the plane back to Lansing. 

I won’t kid myself…that adventure was as much for our benefit as it was for hers. It was the beginning of her experience to ‘all things possible’ and initially opened up Ali’s vein of curiosity, the potential for doing more as she grew older, and helped to create a need and desire for travel that would last her a lifetime of memories and joy! And, as I recall, shopping at Water Tower Place with an elongated adventure through FAO Schwarz, the iconic toy store for kids of all ages, was well worth the trip to Chicago.

Both of our daughters never hesitated to board a flight, drive anywhere in a car, ride in a train, or jump on a boat in order to enjoy a new adventure. Now that they both have families of their own, the spirit of adventure holds even higher stakes as they have introduced their children to the amazing world of travel and discovery. I am so proud that the opportunity to travel the world exists for all of them. When I was quite young, traveling to different places and experiencing new cultures only existed through books and a fertile imagination. But, there was plenty of time to plan some of my future itineraries and be able to watch them unfold before me when the time was right.

Today, our beautiful daughter, wife, and mother, Alexandria, celebrates another birthday. We could not be more proud of her and all of her accomplishments throughout the years. Yes, she is an ambitious and successful career women who also knows how to maintain a fairly smooth and healthy balance between work and the well-being of her family of four. And, the wonderful part is that she married someone who had devoted his post college life to backpacking around and discovering Europe before moving down to the Orlando area (Walt Disney World) to work at Disney’s Wide World of Sports where Eric and Ali first met.

So, blessed are the curious, blessed are the young at heart no matter how old they are, blessed are those who deliberately choose to become enlightened both physically and mentally by immersing themselves into a different culture and land. And, blessed are the poets and philosophers who understand that ‘the human body was never meant for sitting behind desks or walking paved streets, or maneuvering tight corners,’ to paraphrase John O’Donahue — Irish Poet & Philosopher.

John O’Donahue said, When longing dies, creativity ceases. The arduous task of being a human is to balance longing and belonging so that they work with and against each other to ensure that all the potential and gifts that sleep in the clay of the heart may be awakened and realized in this one life.

Blessed are those who encourage others to take the forest path and contemplate the trees and birdsong. Blessed are those who feel the sand between their toes and reflect upon  the waves rolling in off the surface of the ocean. And, blessed are those who mentor the young in the natural beauty that exists in this world and teaches them to seek it out, wherever they may travel. May the young who listen intently to them learn to pass this wisdom down to others as they themselves grow and mature.

Well, Ali, I do believe that Dad and I did our very best while you were young and most impressionable. May your curiosity always be kept alive and strong and take you places you’ve only dreamed about. Today, on your Special Day, I wish you Peace, Joy, Good Health, Happiness, and more Love than you’ve ever believed possible! Happy Birthday my Beautiful Daughter. Stay kind. Remain curious, and always enjoy life to the fullest.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALI!!!

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes 

All rights reserved

 

LOVE OF FAMILY, FRIENDS, DOGS, AND OTHER WONDERFUL THINGS

 

A series of essays….

BEING THANKFUL FOR EVERYTHING THAT 
APPEARS RIGHT AND BEING ABLE TO
CHANGE THAT WHICH IS DEFINITELY WRONG

….as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E Hughes

I am thankful for and hopeful in my belief that the war between Israel and Hamas will be declared neutral and inviolable by positive political arrangements between or through level headed leaders and people who can manipulate the bullies on either side. 

On November 21, 2023, via the key negotiator, Qatar, a deal has been laid out for a four-day pause in fighting and the release of at least 50 women and children held hostage in Gaza. This is a major diplomatic breakthrough nearly seven weeks in the making. As I say, I am hopeful that relief will, finally, come to the Palestinian people and the Israeli hostages will all be returned to their loved ones. I am grateful that people are still able to talk, attempt to work things out, and negotiate through common sense and logic.

I am eternally thankful for such leaders and beautiful souls as we have seen in Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the sixth president of Ukraine. His courage, love of country and her people, and mental strength coupled with unimaginable determination has fought hatred, civil abominations, and blatant acquisition of Ukrainian land for going on two years. 

Unfortunately, this war has become non-negotiable through reasonable talks with key negotiators. This war has the backing of a power-hungry leader of a, largely brainwashed nation whom Vladimir Putin has placed fear and retaliation in the forefront and egregious amounts of monetary rewards for those who stand by him in Moscow. No amount of talk or negotiations or common sense or love of life on Putin’s part will resolve this conflict. We can only hope that the military aid to President Zelenskyy, Ukraine, and her soldiers will make a difference and the strength and courage of all Ukrainien people will prevail.

Sitting around the round maple, four-sided, drop leaf table in my parent’s large dining room early afternoon on Thanksgiving Day, I can still hear the tinkling of glasses and that of familiar voices vying for attention with stories and anecdotes from the past year. My fingers gently outlined the intricate tablecloth pattern in swirls of dark brown and orange on a sea of aged beige linen that helped to shield the soft maple from spills and other calamities. With a matching napkin on my lap, it was time for either Dad or Grandpa to say grace and encourage all of us to be thankful for the bounty before us.

How many early Thanksgiving Thursday mornings has Mom gotten up in the deeply shadowed hours before dawn to prep Tom, Dick, or Harry (names my brothers and I chose to call our turkey—Tom jr. If it were under ten pounds) by washing, seasoning, filling its cavity with homemade sausage stuffing, slathering its skin with real butter for browning, and placing it in the hot oven to sleep for up to five hours or so? The rich aroma would spiral up to the second floor bedrooms only to find the rest of us asleep but dreaming of the feast she was preparing for all of us.

So, by the time grace was being said by our patriarch in the wood paneled dining room, our exhausted Mom was quite anxious to bring out (George that year) the golden, plattered turkey to have Dad carve at the table, leaving most of us wishing for more than two drumsticks! 

After the power-show between man and cutlery, I would help Mom bring out from the adjoining kitchen steaming bowls, plates, baskets of dinner rolls, saucers of butter, chilled sauces, divided dishes of varied pickles and olives, and a gravy boat that couldn’t sail but provided us with the fabulous homemade gravy she would claim from the rich turkey drippings in the pan. Mom was a Master Chef feeding her family of six throughout the year, but she was awarded five Michelin stars on Thanksgiving Day!

Now came the moment of truth; the time to expel from our lips the true, unhomogenized reasons for being thankful for at least one circumstance in our lives. We’d either had a whole year to think about it, or only a few minutes because, with all of the enticing food placed before our eyes, the stomach ruled over the heart at that particular moment. 

Icy fear crept over me. Was I going to be totally original in my decree of gratitude or would someone else steal my thunder first and make me think that much harder? With our feast chilling more and more with every second, we began with Grandma and worked our way around the table. I knew I was being selfish, but I preferred having my turkey and mashed potatoes warm, if not hot.

My younger brother Larry’s response was all that sat between me and allowing the world to hear my words of thanksgiving. I am thankful for all of this great food and just want to eat!, he proclaimed while, hastily, buttering a dinner roll and given a ‘side-eye’ by Dad. There. He was done. My turn, finally. I am thankful for being loved by all of you, every day!, I blurted out. And, I truly meant it with all of my heart because being loved and giving love back, even as a small child, has always been my motivating factor. 

Last, but certainly not least (as the saying goes), it was Mom’s turn to wrap this enlightening tradition up in a sweet, pastel bow and then get this party started. With tired eyes but a red-lipstick smile that stretched across her pretty face, she said, I am thankful for being able to pacify your hunger today and very grateful to see us all together as one family, sitting side-by-side, ignoring our differences, and delighting in each other’s presence. Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, near and far, with all of my love and best hopes for a brighter and loved-filled future….!

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline E Hughes

All rights reserved