Between the Windows: Thankful

Monday, May 13, 2024

Thankful

I have realized this morning that, after an incredibly
stressful 5 years, I am now enjoying my days.

We had thunderstorms last night and heavy rain.

I have opened windows, pulled back curtains, and am reading

the second volume of one of my favorite "young adult" series.

I don't know how long the reprieve will last, but I am thankful for it.

My garden is in flower.

It is raining.

I have a mug of hot tea.

Life is good this morning.

2010: The sun began to warm my face even before I woke up to see it. It reached across the room to my bed. My bed is a green flex-steel couch that I have been sleeping on since my husband died three years ago. I often lay there thinking before getting up to start my day.

Thinking about the depth of the sun’s reach made me think about the photos I wanted to hang on the walls and where they should go. It was obvious that they should go between the windows, where that reach wouldn’t harm them. The windows would give me a direct view to the current world; the photos between them would give me a direct view to the past.

That’s what I do for enlightenment and enjoyment – sometimes I live in the past.

Genealogy, or family history, began as a study when my son was in the 8^th grade. We were homeschoolers that year and it seemed a good way to study history. It became a passion for me but now has settled down to a frequent activity.

Through my research I have come in touch with people from the past. Often they are people of whom the memory has nearly faded away. That’s the reason I put them between the windows – to keep them from fading away entirely.

This is their story and mine.