Life is a Treasure Hunt

I remember being able to explore the woods when I was little. Maybe not to the extent others do, but I did explore nontheless. We built forts and we played in the dirt...usually without shoes. These are the kinds of memories that are the easiest to recall when I think about the past.



I remember being able to run to my granny and bebo's house all by myself. I remember going to the camp and fishing on the floating dock. I remember going to the treehouse (which was really a hunting stand with a heater and recliner) and playing for hours with my brother and my cousins Kristin, Dallas, and Jarrad...sorry Lacy, you were too little. We were explorers and were usually on the same team fighting bad guys and finding treasures. We knew each other well and enjoyed each others company.



It makes me sad to know that my darling little boys will not have the same experiences that I did. They do know some of their family members and a few cousins but they never see them. They know who their aunts and uncles are...some of them. They ask about their family but we rarely get to see them. I realize that when I was growing up, my entire family shaped who I am now. They all taught me things.



My Aunt Sandy taught me how to be a smart-ass and that sarcasm is almost always appropriate. If someone has a hard time with that...well...maybe they should stay clear of me. She taught me to be brassy and bold and self confident. She also taught me to never be afraid to change my hair color or style...sometimes drastically.



Aunt Linda and Uncle Dave taught me patience and understanding. You see, I have never seen my Aunt Linda be anything other than nice to anyone...ever. Even if she was mad, she was still one of the nicest people that will ever exist on the face of this earth.



My Granny taught me how to be self reliant. I learned to go after what I wanted, but not to expect anything unless I am willing to put forth the effort. I learned that laziness and a lacsadaisical attitude will get me nowhere.

My parents....well, I will save them for another day. They deserve a post of their own.

I guess the bottome line is that I am saddened that my boys don't have a granny to hug whenever they want. They don't have an Aunt Sandy or an Aunt Linda that they can see on a regular basis. They want those things too, even though they are very young. They ask about the family members that they know and they don't understand why we can't go visit them right now. They miss their Grana, Michelle, Ma-kee-na (Logan's words), Cici, Uncle Teefy and the rest of the crew.

They want to go exploring in the woods with friends and family. They want to find treasure and hunt bad guys. The best that I can do is let them play in the shrubs at the end of my cul-de-sac. They don't know any difference at this point but I am hopefull that one day, they will know the love filled life of adventure that I did when I was little. Hopefully it's not so late in thier childhood that they lose interest in playing in the woods and searching for treasure. I look forward to them getting into trouble with thier cousins and having aunts and uncles to complain to when mama and daddy are being unreasonable.

One day...one day.