A Simple Life is a Happy Life
When I was a
little girl, I remember living in the country, in a house with no heat or air
conditioning, no indoor bathroom (yes, we had an outhouse) and sharing one
bedroom with my parents and brother.
What I did
have was, loving parents, a big yard to play, and food on the table.
We always
had a garden with fresh vegetables in the summer and my dad would hunt for our
meat. My mom washed our clothes with an
old wringer washer and hung them on the line to dry.
It was a
simple life. Some might say we were
poor, but I don’t remember feeling poor or anything but happy.
My dad
worked hard jobs and I remember his hands always so rough and dry, yet so soft
and kind when he held me. He was a welder
and worked at a stone quarry. He would
come home so tired, but still had time to wrestle on the floor, after feeding
the dogs, chickens, horses and any other animals we had at the time. To this day, I am still my daddy’s girl…..
My mom
started working when I was 5 years old.
She worked second shift and I remember missing her so much. After working all evening, she would still
wake up early every morning to fix my dad’s breakfast, pack his lunch and get
us kids off to school. Before going to
work, she always fixed dinner for us to warm up when we got home. I could not have asked for a better role model. My mom is the most honest, loving, hard-working
and caring woman I know. I think I got
some of those qualities, but I will never hold a candle to my mom.....
I have two
brothers; one older and one younger. I
see qualities of both parents in them.
They are two of the kindest, most loving men I know. They put others first, think of their needs
last and will always be my protectors. I
say this with no doubt in my mind that they would do anything in the world for
me. I’m so fortunate to call them my
brothers.....
My husband
has been my friend for 19 years. We
still think and say the same things, at the same time. On our first date, he was selecting some
music to play on the stereo. I asked him
what was taking so long and his response was, “I’m picking a song that will get
me a slow dance or slapped.” He got the
dance.....
My son will
never know the special place he holds in my heart. I know he loves me unconditionally and thinks
the world of his “momma”. He never forgets
to tell me how much he loves and appreciates me. We have a very rare mother/son relationship
and I’m so proud of the man he has become.....
With my
daughter, I strive to be everything my mom is to me. We do so much together that I feel like I’m
hanging with my best friend, rather than my daughter. We’re serious one minute, then cracking up
laughing the next. Who else can you act
like that with, other than your best friend.....
This is my
family.....my simple life.....my happy life.....
Written on February 3, 2014
Written on February 3, 2014