Lots of things have sent my mind into little flashbacks lately, mostly things that my kids are doing. May and Ellen were playing outside and as usual I can't leave them alone for more than a few minutes. I constantly look out the window to make sure they're safe. Yes even in our secluded little town I worry and keep a close watch. Anyway they stayed out for longer than usual and I poked my head out the door to see what was entertaining them so well. It was dirt and rocks. That's all. Just dirt and rocks and whatever happened to be lying around. It reminded me of the hours I used to spend imagining rocks into houses with balconies and swimming pools, the same way that you look at clouds and see elephants with bow ties. I remember whole afternoons being spent in a miniature world with small rocks as people and big rocks as mountains and caves. I miss being able to do that! It seems so much harder to think creatively now.
Another little moment happened when I took May to have her teeth cleaned and my uncle's dentist office. My cousin Brenda was working at the front desk, and while May was waiting for Uncle Trent to come check her teeth, Brenda took her behind the desk to show her the cupboard where the coloring books are kept. My breath caught in my chest just looking at the evidence of the passage of time! There was Brenda all grown up, a beautiful wife and mother, showing my daughter the same cupboard that she showed me years ago when we were girls. We used to run up to the office and raid the basket of little toys that they kept for kids who had had there teeth worked on. It seems like such a short time ago that we were May's age and rummaging through the place where the fun stuff is still kept.
I have a stuffed animal that has survived every toy purge of my life, and now my girls play with her almost as often as I did. She is a white cat named Candy, and her shape lends itself to being dressed up. My girls figured this out on there own. They dressed her in a dress that they both have out grown. It makes me smile to see them enjoying her in the same way I did. Candy went almost everywhere with me. She went on every road trip and spent every night in my bed. She caught many tears and survived a few tug o' wars too. Needless to say she's not really white anymore and the paint on her eyes is faded and chipped. She has even had her fur trimmed a couple of times. I'm going to keep her until she has been entirely worn out, which probably won't be too much longer considering that I let the girls play with her, then I'll see if I can find one on the internet that is in good condition. I'll give the original Candy a proper burial and keep the new one in remembrance of the Candy that gave me so much comfort.
4 days ago