My Thoughts Today - Eileen

Have you ever wanted to pinch yourself to see if the life you’re living is a dream? I remember being so happy in the moment that I was sure that one day I would wake up and find I had imagined the fairy tale ending my life had become. I really did meet the prince, he carried me off and we lived happily ever after. Well, happily after anyway – the ever part came to an abrupt end August 20, 2006.

Sometimes when we tell Tom stories we tend to make him a super human person – he was so “larger than life.” Lately, I’ve been trying to go back and remember with honesty the man I met, the young, restless, undisciplined, wild child he was in 1957. I’ve been telling Tommy "Grandpa stories" of our dating days; the drag race champ, the water balloon throwing rascal he really was. I’m not sure his dad appreciates my honesty, but it’s fun to see his eyes grow round and his incredulous grin as he tries to reconcile his memory of Grandpa with the in-process reality of a teenage Patriarch-to-be. How did I miss the fact that this current generation doesn’t know “the story?” What a shame it would be to let all those lessons hard learned go to waste. Surely, some of what schooled us so painfully could be passed on so that a few might possibly avoid those pitfalls in their own journey.

And so I relive the early days, opening doors in my memory closet long sealed. And find – oh yes, a fairy tale, waiting to be told.

Once upon a time, in a land far way……….

To be continued….