Replies

When my siblings and I were little, my parents went on a few Colorado ski vacations without us. They were conference getaways for my dad's job, and we kids weren't yet ready for taking on The Rockies. A very sweet old farm wife stayed with us and cooked AWESOME meals. But we missed our mom so much...we would go in her closet and smell her clothes and cry....

Sounds like my children. It is difficult to leave my children (but I do need a break sometimes), because they always say how much they miss me. There have been times when I walked down to the store, my husband still at home, and one of my sons ran off down the street looking for me. Fortunately, his older brother got him before he got too far.

I have just wonderful memories of my grandparents. They had sweet, simple lives, good friends, food, they'd all be around 100 now if still here. Grandparents just adored us, spoiled us rotten, couldn't take their eyes off us, loved us like crazy, every thought they seemed to have was what to cook for us, sew/crochet for us, nothing is better in life than to be loved like that. They could do that easier because all the enticements that are there now where not there then. It is harder now, there are so many things that entice our eyes, that pull us away from loving each other. We really have to be very strong willed and disciplined now adays to not bring this stuff home, keep it off, etc., have to stay away from the malls and stores that taunt us to yet redecorate another room or what not, everything "out there" tells us we will find joy in this stuff, but we won't - it all is for a short while, then it leaves us empty, leaves us with sad regrets that we used our time and money on things that ended up being a waste. (Vanities, all is vanity comes to mind) Solomon did "this" and told us how unsatisfying it all was, how empty it all left us. But as fools we STILL pursue it, thinking, "Oh I am different, IT will make me happy." But it does not. And when it is said and done, we are old and grey we will be filled with regrets because we filled our days with empty pursuits instead of filling the days with loving each other and others.