Memories

 Every once in a while I just drift away to what I call my "happy place". I know it's not real but in some ways it is. This happy place is full of my memories. Times in my younger days, times of better health, and just times of pure fun and enjoyment. Our heads are full of such places, some we remember fondly while others may bring a tear to our eye. Either way, these memories are what has made us what we are today. Yesterdays events helped shape today and all of our tomorrows to come. I hope that I never forget being at my grandparents farm and walking down the lane to the swamp. Here amongst the cattails was the spring where the cows drank. In the spring of the year there was always a crop of pollywogs in the water and us kids would watch them grow into frogs. I don't know who owns the land now so I haven't walked that lane in almost 50 years. The barn and all the farm buildings have been gone for forty years and my grandparents house has been gone for at least 10 years. I'm not sure if the horse chestnut trees along the driveway are still there or not. All I know is that in my memories everything is still the same as it was and us kids are in the meadow playing baseball. At the house that I grew up in, I can still see my grandfathers old guernsey  cow standing on the hill under the apple tree. And there is gramp in his garden on top of the hill. Memories. As long as I have my memories, things that have long since changed will return as they were 50 years ago when they were here, alive, and well. Our past lives in us because we are a product of our past. As I can pickles today, I'm reminded of my grandfather in his garden years ago. Maybe I'm carrying on a family tradition by gardening. Canning and freezing the vegetables that I grow is not only going to save me money , but it's helping to keep my memories alive.