"Who would I wish to talk with that is no longer in my life?" by Aldwyn

        "Who would I wish to talk with that is no longer in my life?"

     That would be an easy question to answer.  Not a day goes by that I don’t have something new to share with my mother.  Many times since her death I find myself thinking that I must call and tell her of an event or happening of the day.  But, mostly I want to have the chance to ask all those little questions I did not think to inquire about when she was alive. 

        Like many others, my life has been profoundly influenced by my mother.  She taught me of one’s need to take advantage of relationships each and every day; especially those nearest and dearest. 

    

        When I first began teaching I lived at home.  I am sure it was a strain to have a grown son hanging around the house.  On weekends, we would hop into the car and drive to the rural areas where she grew up.  Mom would tell me story after story concerning people and their times as we traveled the gravel roads of the past.  We generally finished the tour at the cemetery in a deserted hamlet where my mother and father began their married life.

         First, we would stand in front of Dad’s grave and remember.  Then we would move to my Grandparents' plot and tell their story again.  From there it was a tour from headstone to headstone as she recalled many of the people in her life.  Unfortunately, fool that I was, I did not write them down.  Oh, what I would give to be able to rectify that mistake. 

        Eventually, it dawned upon me that the remainder of those memories needed to be recorded before they were lost.  I may not recall specifics but could bring to mind the ambience of simpler times.

        It is a bit like a response I have to my favorite song, “All the Things You Are.”  For years I have felt a strange, almost spiritual pull when listening to this tune.  It brought a joy of something just beyond my conscious grasp.  My brother recently talked about Mom playing the same song on the piano when we were very, very young.  I wonder?

  

        I cannot think of Mother without the memory of Dad.  She told so many tales that became part of the fabric of our family life.  She made sure he was there for us in memory and story.  In a strange way, they live again as I look into their picture eyes gazing from the frame in the study. 

        I believe that Fanny Flag had it right when she stated, “It’s all about our lives and the power of storytelling. To tell stories about what we have lost and feel the better for it.” 

And so we do.

 

Blessings to You…

Aldwyn

Contact us if you would like to receive email updates or submit your original work.