I remember...

An inspiring post by Aunt Martha has me remembering. . .

I remember playing in the parsonage in Keyser during the summer, Grandma cooking in the kitchen and Granddad sneaking me and my brother's ice cream before dinner. I remember my dad, so strong to be able to help me pound the nail into the mantle to hang my stocking at Christmas. I remember moving into new neighborhoods with strange people and new schools. I remember a puppy the color of a honey-golden sunrise living next door becoming a member of our family. I remember a mouse that wasn't there, despite my mother's insistence that it was, until it ran over my dad's belly while wiring the train platform! I remember.

I remember my brother Greg dropping a hand weight on his head and getting stitches on his forehead. I remember hitting on those same stitches with a cap gun and getting grounded for a week. I remember my both my brothers taking time out of their busy 'boy' lives and playing with me, their only sister, and knowing that I will always treasure those moments. I remember my brother Eric leading the way for me to start band in school and how I never looked back once I got there. I remember.

I remember my mom making the most fantastic birthday cakes with my dad for the three of us children. The train, the ballet slippers, the bunny. . .

I remember the tornado that ripped through our neighborhood on Palm Sunday one year in Louisiana. The camp stoves being drug out, the smoker already going, the trek through the muck and downed-trees to make sure the elderly lady had food beyond the PBJ sandwiches she was planning on eating. I remember sleeping on the floor in the den in sleeping bags just so Mom and Dad knew we were safe . . .

I remember leaving Louisiana to return to West Virginia. I remember the last time I looked at my dad's parents as we pulled away from the house. . .Grandma standing, so still, no shaking; Granddad tall and straight, so strong. I love that memory. I remember seeing the Ohio River, hearing my mom tell me '25 minutes, Jenny. 25 minutes'. I remember MacBeth . . .

I remember my first Snow Day, 3 sets of clothes in rotation, a huge snowman, and Grandma's never-ending supply of hot chocolate. Then there was the alley behind Grandma's, cousins, and sleds. I remember freezing at 70 degrees while the rest of the class was in shorts, thanks to growing up in the south.

I remember my dad kneeling in the field next door painting a metal stand, brown and gold, paw prints to match. I remember the Pepsi booth and half-time shows and my mother sewing me into my uniform. I remember . . .

I remember 10 years ago today, standing in front of my family and friends. I remember his face, his touch, the hope I felt . . .I remember saying, "I do" and I would again. I remember . . .and am thankful.