Close your eyes

  Close your eyes, I have a story to share if you’ll take a moment and allow me to take you on a journey.  We’re going back in time, to the late 1930’s; to a time where things, compared to today, were done very differently.

  It was summer vacation and the kids of that day were always out and about or with their families, never locked away in the basement, being ignored, with their fingers glued to a remote control and eyes blurry with the motion on the television.

  It was a time when kids rode bikes, went for walks, took vacations with their families and wore clothes that covered their bodies.  It was a different world, but emotions haven’t changed all that much.

  A pair of girls walked along the road, they were cousins and hadn’t seen much of each other since one of the families moved to another province.  They had a lot to catch up on, as girls often do, in the short time the vacation would allow.

  The sun was high, the breeze ruffled the leaves on the tall trees that lined the street and as the girls walked further along the road they came across a group of boys on the opposite side of the street.

  Their eyes drifted innocently, cautiously.  One boy stood out to one girl as handsome.  He likely smiled, and at some point it is certain that each pair of blue eyes locked, there may even have been a shy exchange of smiles.

  Across the road the boys were more cavalier about the scene.  The girls were pretty, wearing dresses and looking fresh, as summer should.  

  One boy, the one on the bike, told his buddies he was going to take that girl, the one he’d set his eyes on, for a ride.

  The boys laughed at his boldness; naturally. 

  But he did just as he’d said.  He pulled his bike up next to the pretty girl and asked her if she wanted to go for a ride. 

  He wasn’t a stranger, she knew where he came from and so, feeling good about him, she did, how could she not?  Her heart was all a flutter in her chest, and the cute boy, the one who’d caught her eye with his handsome appearance, helped her up onto the crossbar of his bike and took her for a ride.

  That’s how they met, how the courting began, and when the girl’s vacation was over there were letters, written by hand and carried to the post, letters to make the miles between them seem short though at the time they were oh, so far.

  Can you imagine hearing that story seventy five years after the fact and still see the sparkle in that girl’s eyes? The secret smile that paints her lips as she remembers.  Oh how I’ve been floating on a cloud imagining the scene, for if it hadn’t been, I wouldn’t be here to share it with you, for you see that girl and that boy were my grandparents.

  Our attitudes, our sense of entitlement towards all we believe the world owes us, the façade we paint on our faces each day before we leave the house, the pain we hide with a smile to ward off chatter or the way we simply hide who we are to get through each day.   Or here’s the kicker, how we hardly ever look up to see what’s in front of us anymore; we’re all too wrapped up in our cyber world, text conversations or electronic relationships. 

 When you compare the now to back then, very little seems the same today in the eyes of the current generation, but I would argue against that generalized statement.  There is a lot that is different, easier at moments and more difficult in others, but love?  Yes, Love.  It's the unchanging bridge we can all understand.  Some things close the gap, wouldn’t you say?

  Here's a quick challenge for you as you begin your weekend.  Ask your parents, your grandparents, your aunts and uncles how it all happened for them.  How did their stories begin.

I am certain you will be surprised, and as their eyes gloss over as they relive those moments from long ago, the gap will be bridged, the time between your life and theirs will grow small.  You just may find that life isn't all that different now than it was way, way back then!!

  Happy 91st Birthday to one of my most favorite friends, resilient inspiration, trustworthy confidant, and most gorgeous inside and out....to my Grandmother! 

Cheers to a beautiful week, folks!