It's the simple things in life that are the memories of tomorrow. How often have we heard that? Yet, if we take it to heart, it is so true.
Do you remember many of the gifts that you received as a child? Probably not! They were asked for and cherished at the moment; but now long forgotten.
In our world of so many worries and fears for the future, it is the simple things, the special moments, that will keep us united and looking forward, not backward, to better years.
This generation has been brought up with "things." We have given our children every special doll, new skateboard, bike, inline skates, and computer that is advertised. Games and music paraphernalia are pushing off their shelves and cupboards. New clothes, even though the old are still fine and fitting, lessons every night of the week, books of every type, bath toys and outdoor toys and indoor toys and TOY toys.
So, how do we get back to simpler times?
The answer is family: Family time, family games, family worship, and family memories.
My kids Tim and Laura (with the three growing grandbabies) came for dinner. It was just hamburgers and hot dogs, but we all sat outside in the waning daylight, kids laughing, parents talking about their day, kids crawling off and on our laps, everyone communicating.
The economy came up, and we talked about our fears about the housing markets, the banks losing millions, people spending more and more each day for gas, and all the other problems a down economy brings.
Questions were asked about Grandma Baker, who lived during the Depression as a young adult, and what life was like then. Funny, in trying to answer their questions about my mom, I realized I didn't know much about those days before I was born.
Oh, I'd heard the stories of cardboard in shoes to make them last just a month or two longer, about the rooms that were leased out to total strangers to help share the costs, the bean fields across from my mom's childhood home where the farmer allowed her family to glean leftovers after the harvest. Green beans became the mainstay of the family dinner table for many meals.
But my son and his wife posed more practical questions about survival.
They wanted to know what foods were the most practical to stockpile "just in case," what we learned from Grandma that could help us make it if things grew very bad. They wanted to know what families did, what they played with, what the memorable moments were during times of great challenges.
At the evening's end, we all smiled, realizing that tonight was a special memory that would warm us far in the future.
Our evening had been filled with the camaraderie of family. Nothing fancy, nothing that cost lots of money, just the closeness of a family, and the love that enveloped us tonight.
No one wants to look forward with fear, but we know we must cut down in many ways to afford prices that have skyrocketed.
I look forward with a twinkle in my eye. Listening to my own children, I was proud of their thoughts toward what might be a hard time. They reminded me that people who have lived through such times seem to come out much more self-reliant, more capable and strong. Such insight for two so young.
Together, we will look back on these days as the best days of our lives!
Linda Williams
