An amalgamation of memories,
hours and days and months
strung together in sequential order,
then sifted and twisted,
until they’ve chronicled years, decades, a lifetime.
A sloppy stew made from an experimental recipe,
sometimes with too much of this,
sometimes with too little of that,
and sometimes with just the right fusion
of savory sweetness.
A cacophony of chaos,
of barking dogs and
noisy, boisterous boys,
leaving sticky fingerprints on the walls.
A spreadsheet of chores and tedium,
conference calls and long hours in a lonely office,
demanding bosses and clients, and
business trips to D.C. and Austin and New York.
A calendar of busyness,
PTA meetings and doctor visits,
permission slips and homework, and
eating lunch in the car on the way from one activity to the next.
A sweet and delectable dessert,
made with soft breezes off the lake,
toes dipped in the fountain, and
holding squishy new babies.
A rousing and exhilarating game
of Saturday morning youth soccer matches
and football games watched from the sidelines
or among cheering stadium fans
or with heavy eyes while dozing on the living room couch.
A thrilling and surprising amusement park ride,
of unplanned getaways and unexpected invitations,
of getting lost and finding your way
and once in a while greeting a hungry buffalo eye-to-eye.
This, yes this, is the stuff of life –
a messy, loud, chaotic, unpredictable,
magnificently full life.
19 Comments
I love this! You have a beautiful family and view on life!
Thank you so much.
So gorgeous!
“a messy, loud, chaotic, unpredictable”
So TRUE. Oh do I know that lol.
And your family is so beautiful. 🙂
Thank you! And when I say loud, I mean LOUD!
Love this. It brought tears to my eyes. 🙂
Awww, thanks, Lori. You’re so sweet.
What are you, a professional poet? Well said. The stuff of life. Love it!
Ha! Thank you, Steph!
I really love this and all the full memories that you have! I really like how you said it’s a sloppy slew from an experimental recipe but it’s just the right amount of savory sweetness – captures it all perfectly. Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you! Sometimes it feels a little more sloppy than I’d like but it all seems to come together.
Perfectly described – such a wonderful time you guys have had!
Also, oh my, the buffalo would have freaked me out. 🙂
Yeah, the past month we’ve had a lot of fun the past month. And yes, the buffalo thoroughly freaked me out.
I love the photos, and the title and your lovely collection of memories. Recording them allows us to hold them tight, and never let them go. I’m enjoying your poems as much as your insightful posts.
Thanks, Stephanie! You are right about recording memories. I’m not overly sentimental ordinarily, but I am really enjoying the intentional appreciation that writing has brought to me.
Oh you write with such beautiful imagery! Lovely 🙂
Thank you, Vicki. You are so kind.
Ohmyword, this is stunning.
Your words, your photos, your poetry, your wisdom.
Wow.
{Also? What poked its head into your car?! Holy wow! I would have freaked out! And who thought to to photo op you right then? Genius!}
Thank you so much! There were tons of beasts poking around in our car – buffalo, long-horned steer, giraffe, large deer, etc. It was amazing.
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