Oh...How I Long for Those Days!

I found this picture on my computer that I had saved some time ago. Jackie had uploaded it to the web and thought I would reminisce on the days of old (meaning the late 80's or early 90's). The darling children in this photo from left to right are:

Damian: (Jackie's son who passed away last February) looking as though he is eating something extremely yummy! We always enjoyed when they would visit from California each summer. Jason loved spending the night with his cousin and playing Nintendo (not Super or Wii...just plain old Nintendo)

Me: There is no need to insult myself...keep moving.

Jason: I must first start off by saying...what was my mother thinking when she put him in RED...I repeat...RED shoes, with white knee socks AND pants...or are they shorts that are just really long?...that contain every color that the Crayola company could ever invent? Not to mention, he is wearing no shirt. I know it was not removed because it had a stain...because if it matched the shorts...you would never be able to see it anyway! I know his hand is up to shield his face from the camera because he is so embarassed by the outfit that my dear, sweet mother dressed him in for the day. So what if he is going to be outside running around and getting dirty, hot and sweaty. Even when playing in the summer sun...a five year old deserves to look his very best! The insults could go on forever...

Amanda: My cousin Amanda is sporting the cute rompers that tied on the shoulders with the non-matching headband. No...she is not squinting her eyes because the sun is so bright on this beautiful day...it is because Jason's shorts are so loud her ears are bleeding! (I'm sorry...I couldn't help it. I had to get in one more insult).

All jokes aside...

Oh, how I long for the days of running around the yard with my cousins and savoring the last few days of summer by sitting under the shade trees in the yard in an old swing enjoying the last few licks of a cherry popsicle. There was nothing like climbing in the huge magnolia tree in my Grandma's yard to swing from the branches and find "granddaddy longlegs" to throw on each other. However...since I didn't touch them...I usually got them thrown on me!

As the seasons start to change from summer to fall, I am reminded at how blessed I am at this very moment. I have seen numerous summer seasons after this picture was taken...graduating from high school, getting engaged, getting married, being pregnant and having a baby...but with those comes responsibility. In each of our faces, I see innocence (our parents may disagree) and the excitement that only comes from being a child. But how that responsibility brings blessings-a-plenty (don't you wish you could buy that from The Beacon?). Who would have thought that the little boy in the red shoes would be a great provider for his family, or the girl in the dirty sneakers and purple headband would be a caring wife and mother? God did...that is why he allowed us all those cherry popsicles and extra hours to run around the yard. He was preparing us to watch over our little ones as they climbed in the trees and played with the creepy crawlers. It is not so easy to look toward the next season when you know not what to expect, but you have God who has already been there and can show you through memories, that after the summer falls more blessings..