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both old and new…. Memories old and new swirl together at a mad pace, and with a click of my mind’s shutter I am able to freeze a split second in time.
I am headed to the Square for Holidays on the Marietta Square to take photos for my dear friend Susie of Limelight and think back to a day many years ago when Donna and I walked into Susie and Greg’s shop. Little did I know at the time that the music he played on the drums that evening, drawing us across the threshold to take a look inside the quaint shop, would change all of our lives forever. And I send a text to Donna who recently moved away, ‘Funny how those small moments help to shape and define our lives. Just want to let you know how much you mean to me, that I love you and miss you.’ And she texts (yep – texts is a verb now, LOL!) back to me, ‘Sheri… I woke up this morning thinking about you and being with you in the Marietta Square…’ I score a great parking spot just a few steps from the store, and as I step over the threshold of Susie’s store tonight, I sense that tonight is another defining moment in our lives – and that we have to trust in the Lord that one day we’ll look back and remember this evening.
The email got lost in the sea of advertisements that fill my personal in-box on a daily basis, and I almost missed it. Funny how a date I’ll never forget is sometimes hard to remember. I held the most precious baby girl in my arms that summer evening of ‘77, and as she could no longer keep her big brown eyes open, I kissed her on the cheek and the smell of ‘baby’ permeated my senses. I carried her to her crib, gently laid her down and she stretched her tiny little arms out as I covered her with a light blanket. And as I opened the email fromRemembered.com, I was abruptly taken to a day in 2010 – a call from my Father saying Mary had left us, and in that split second all of our lives were changed forever. Hard to believe it’s been four years sweet Mary.
As the night progresses, so many of Susie’s friends cross over the threshold, filling the air with laughter and joy. We all peruse the wonderful gifts of whimsy and practicality, carefully choosing what will be placed in the shopping bag wrapped in white and lime green tissue. For a moment, I see Greg and myDarlin’ Robert Kenui Pope at the store window playing their music, looking over us with love and I remember him saying to me one night, ‘You should see the view from up here. You can see everything that is going on.’ Excuse me she says, we’re here from North Carolina for a girl’s weekend. Do you know where we can go to hear good music? I pause, and almost ask her, ‘Can’t you hear our angels sing?’ but then realize that not everybody can, and recommend Niks Back Porch and Darwin’s Burgers and Blues for some of the best music in town.
I am filled with gratitude as I remember but a few of those I love that left our world much too soon. And as I choose the gift of whimsy, a small piece of art with a golden heart, I know that the message is one of practicality that helps me to make it through every day of my life. Love never fails.
#KeepLookingUp #LoveNeverFails
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