Wendy's favorite quotes


"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind."— Dr. Seuss

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Do You Remember?

Christmas is a time of family and tradition, of love, laughter and memories. Like many of you, I'm missing someone this year and I keep thinking it's been too long since I've called--that I should call. . . . But then I remember why I haven't and that little piece of my heart breaks again. My mother's project this year was sort all the photos grandmother kept and divide them into 6 Tupperware boxes (one for each of her siblings). She asked for my help in writing a poem that would help her brothers and sisters remember their parents and the good times they shared. I thought I'd share my poem with you.
 
Do You Remember? 

Do you remember sweet caramel corn
And donuts by the bag full,
Mom perched on Dad’s lap like newlyweds
Embarrassed kids, loving fools.  

Do you remember Fall country drives
And lazy days by the lake
Love shared with bear hugs and BBQ’s
Coffee cake and rolls she baked.
 
Do you remember making snowmen
When snow fell on our lashes
The hunt of fresh snow for donut spins
Those days, our fun was matchless. 

Do you remember joy and laughter
As cards piled o’er the table
We played, Demon, Spoons, and Hearts all night
Together when ‘ere able.  

Do you remember she loved us all,
Our children, her life’s treasures
She saved each child’s card and little note,
Her love, too great to measure. 

You remember how she’d wait for us,
Count the hours till our next visit,
A smile, a touch, just holding your hand,
She ne’er wanted to miss it. 

Please do remember to share their love
With those in your lives today
Tell them a story of times gone by
Of our family’s joys those days.
 
Remember, though Mom and Dad are gone,
They gave us all they could give.
Our lives, each other, kind hearts and souls
In our memories, they both live.
 
And then Someday when we meet again
Oh the joys and sweet laughter
We’ll share new memories of times they missed
And have our own happily ever after.

By Wendy Swore, Dec 6th 2012


Some of our traditions are silly. Each year, my dad reads the Night Before Christmas . . . wrong. (Away to the windows I threw up on the sash...made a terrible mess) And the grandchildren protest and make him read the correct words. "No Grandpa! Not like that!"

We open PJ's on Christmas Eve, and trek across the field for breakfast Christmas morning at my husband's parents. One year we were snowed in and they sent snowmobiles to fetch us through the blowing snow.

In short, in quiet moments, I miss the ones we've lost, but I focus on the here and now so my children will have many happy memories as well.

My friends, this year, I wish you many happy memories. May you be surrounded by friends and family. Presents are a dime a dozen, often broken or discarded within the week, but family traditions keep you warm long after the fire burns down.

Do you have any special memories or traditions in your family? What do you love most about the holidays?

2 comments:

Lolawid said...

Great post! I loved your poem, and your kids are beautiful!

Growing up, we did not live close to a lot of family, so every Christmas Eve, my mom would make tons of food and we would have an open house. Our neighbors and friends would be in and out all afternoon. We would have beans, tortillas, red chili, posole, tamales, and all sorts of goodies. Yum!!

After the last of the people had left, we would all climb in the car and my dad would drive us across town. We would find neighborhoods that were all decked out with Christmas lights, and being in Albuquerque, NM, there were always houses and streets lined up with luminarias. My dad would turn off the headlights, and we would drive through the streets just in wonder.

When we were done, we would head home. My parents would find a red light in the sky and tell us that it was Santa's sleigh and the red light was Rudolph's nose. We would plead with dad to hurry up so that we could get home and get to bed before Santa came to our house.

I have so many wonderful memories of Christmases growing up! Wow, makes me really evaluate what I am leaving for my kids to remember...

Merry Christmas to you and yours!!

Shallee said...

What a beautiful poem! It got me nostalgic for all the happy times with my family growing up.