Have you ever had the thought “I’d love to be a fly on their wall right about now”? I have. It’s human nature to be inquisitive about the lives of others. Sometimes it’s someone you know and again it may be a complete stranger. It might pertain to something as innocent as how they can seem so cheerful all the time or why they act so grumpy. Chances are they're having similar thoughts of you.
My daughter and I were talking recently about some of the experiences my husband and I had shared when we were first married. She told me that she heard me discussing them with older relatives or friends and realized there were so many years in our early marriage that she and my son didn’t know about. It made me think of my mother and the stories she would tell us about her life as a young girl, marriage to my father, and the life they shared. I thought of the times that Willis, my husband, and I talked of when we were children and how different it is today from the way we were brought up by our parents. There were sad stories and happy stories from all of us but now they have been committed to the memory of those who have been left behind. “I want to know all those stories about you and Daddy. I wish you would write them down for us so we will have them for our children. After you’re gone there won’t be anyone to tell us.”
I’ve thought of that many times since that day. Mama gave me a five-year diary for my birthday when I was in my teens. I began writing in it then and continued to do so until after Cathy was born. There was only a small space to enter my thoughts each day so I began keeping a record in notebooks to help me remember the really important things happening in our lives. At times I would go for months without writing anything and then again the entries would be daily. Time dims the memories we have of the past and sometimes we lose them entirely due to illness. I don’t want that to happen to us so I decided that I would find my diary, pull out the old notebooks, freshen my memory, and try to see what I can do with what I remember of those years.
Life is like a roller coaster with its highs and lows and we had both. We rejoiced in the highs and comforted each other during the lows. We made mistakes, some big, some small but in hindsight I realize that they enriched our lives and brought us even closer together.
So, if you would like the opportunity to be that fly on the wall, stop by. Our lives are those of ordinary people. We had our hopes and dreams and worked toward seeing them fulfilled. In most I believe we succeeded.
My daughter and I were talking recently about some of the experiences my husband and I had shared when we were first married. She told me that she heard me discussing them with older relatives or friends and realized there were so many years in our early marriage that she and my son didn’t know about. It made me think of my mother and the stories she would tell us about her life as a young girl, marriage to my father, and the life they shared. I thought of the times that Willis, my husband, and I talked of when we were children and how different it is today from the way we were brought up by our parents. There were sad stories and happy stories from all of us but now they have been committed to the memory of those who have been left behind. “I want to know all those stories about you and Daddy. I wish you would write them down for us so we will have them for our children. After you’re gone there won’t be anyone to tell us.”
I’ve thought of that many times since that day. Mama gave me a five-year diary for my birthday when I was in my teens. I began writing in it then and continued to do so until after Cathy was born. There was only a small space to enter my thoughts each day so I began keeping a record in notebooks to help me remember the really important things happening in our lives. At times I would go for months without writing anything and then again the entries would be daily. Time dims the memories we have of the past and sometimes we lose them entirely due to illness. I don’t want that to happen to us so I decided that I would find my diary, pull out the old notebooks, freshen my memory, and try to see what I can do with what I remember of those years.
Life is like a roller coaster with its highs and lows and we had both. We rejoiced in the highs and comforted each other during the lows. We made mistakes, some big, some small but in hindsight I realize that they enriched our lives and brought us even closer together.
So, if you would like the opportunity to be that fly on the wall, stop by. Our lives are those of ordinary people. We had our hopes and dreams and worked toward seeing them fulfilled. In most I believe we succeeded.
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