Blue Happy Living

We are all so busy in our own little worlds that we sometimes forget that life is more than laundry, working, bills and whats for dinner. Life is a journey an adventure and most of all memories we all hold on to through out our lives.  Years ago we lived in Lucas Texas. Our housing addition  was small with only 26 homes.  If you don’t live in Texas let me explain.  In Texas housing addition are very large communities with hundred’s of homes.  So our little housing addition was very special.  We were close to many of the families and our kids were all pretty much the same age.

Weekends for all of us became very important to the parents.  Most every Friday night everyone came over to my house to eat, play poker and just relax.  Everyone brought their favorite foods and drinks and we all just had a great old-time.  Our kids would pile in the pool or run around outside playing some weird commando game.  On rainy nights they would all pile in my son’s room and watch a movie or play video games.  It wasn’t that we as parents didn’t want to spend time or involve the kids we just needed our time to visit and relax as well.  The kids were always welcome  and it all just seemed so simple.

Now that years have passed and all but 2 families have moved away.  I so miss those days of having that family like support to lean on.  In those days if you were outside building a fence you didn’t have to ask people just started showing up and helping.  If you needed a ride to the hospital because your son broke his arm and your truck was in the shop you picked up the phone.  Help was always there right Jackie! I’ll never forget that day and I’ll never let Dallas forget it either.  I think Jackie was more scare about my blood pressure that she was about Dallas’ arm that by the way was in an S-shape from the wrist to the elbow.  It was just so comforting in that neighborhood we loved each other and supported each other as parents and families. Over the years after we left my husband got really sick these are the people who called and worried with me along with the a few other friends from our past.  These are the people who I often run to for support and comfort.

Recently one of those many children had a new baby.  She is so beautiful but came into this world on a bumpy ride.  I texted  the new mommy to ask for an address to send her a care package while they ride this out in the NICU.  After all the appropriate information was texted she texted me the oddest thing that I had to set back and think about.  Her texted: Thank you Mrs. LaTonya so much.  I miss all those Friday nights at your house making all those memories you guys are all like family to me.  WHAT! I never really thought about it but while we the parents were playing poker and trying to forget the past worries of the week our kids were making great memories for themselves.  To us as parents it was just a poker night with food and drinks, but to our kids it was their childhood memories being built.  I gotta be honest it made me cry to think about it.  I spent hours that day going over so many memories like BBQ’s, pool parties, rainy nights and movies.  We never really every left the neighborhood as families to go anywhere but  so many memories were made right there in a neighborhood called North Fork.  I was so thankful this child now with a child herself brought this to my attention.  We were a village raising our kids and moving through life making important memories and we didn’t even know it at the time.

On Saturday night after this all went down I called a few of the couples and we had dinner.  I shared with them what had transpired between myself and Bailey.  A few tears and many stories later we all had a great time.  I think we all walked away from dinner with such a feeling of love and comfort in our hearts.  We might have sometimes not parented our best, or screamed a bit too much over somethings our kids did but in the end we raised some pretty good kids that are now  productive adults.

Take the time to stop at this moment and look around at your place in life.  What memories are you making with your family that you are over looking.  Slow down and be in that moment and remember these times.  Remember you are an actor in someone else’s memories weather you are aware of it or not.  Be a good memory to every adult and child in your life because as we grow older these are what we think back on.  I hope your hump day is beautiful and you are making Blue Happy memories.