Wow… now my mind’s just clicking along reviewing favourite memories from my fiftieth year. Ordinary days, ordinary things, ordinary experiences. Somehow, when seen through new eyes, things really take on new meaning or have a greater value. For example, because of the deaths of a number of people in the last year, I’ve taken to looking at events in a whole new light. Or, rather, I now understand quite a bit better, my daddy’s comment at a Thanksgiving dinner table many, many years ago. He said, in part, “look around at this table, look at the faces… the next time we’re all together, it won’t look this way — maybe some will be missing, others will look older… this table will never look this way again…” and so on.
I attempted to remember that when our family hosted our annual backyard party. As the cars and vans began to drive down the lane and the friends began to gather, I thought back on the different years — the many years all these friends have gathered. And yet– and yet, again this year, the crowd didn’t look just the same. For it was truly was a different crowd — some old friends, some new, some older, many changes, some were missing. The crowd was different bcz time had passed, events had happened — births and deaths, trials and successes, gains and losses — much had transpired in each family over the previous year. I stood on our back porch step and looked out at the crowd — some, I’ve now known for decades… some, I had just met that night.
Every year it’s amazing to experience the sweet friendships — budding friendships — old friends and new. And that’s why we do it… and that’s why we look forward to it.
I remembered what my daddy had said so long ago — and were he to have lived to see these days, he’d likely still be saying the same thing. Well, on that day I tried to make a mental image I wouldn’t forget. I try to remember it all, even now, as I write this. Funny thing is, just glancing at the crowd pictured below I think of many changes [even since I began to write this entry a few days ago!] in their lives or things have already changed in the last several months — and will some more — maybe a lot more — before the next annual backyard party coming up in July.
