Through the Years

Here's a photo of me, my sisters, and my cousins, taken in the mid 1950's. I'm the little tyke on the right hand side. My sisters are the two on the left. My cousins are in the middle.Don't you just love the girl's Capri pants? I think mine are so stylish with the little bow ties.

My sisters and I are holding apples, and, if you look carefully, you can see that I've already taken a bite out of mine. Perhaps that was my philosophy from early on, "Don't let any good thing pass you by."

Through the years, I've been offered my share of  "good things:" love of a mom and dad, enough food to eat, a modest but comfortable home (my sisters and I shared a small bedroom, but we liked it), pets, a safe town where I could roam, friends, schooling, and scope for my imagination.

As the years flowed, I was caught up in the waves of change and adversity. Sometimes the changes were exciting: making new friends, advancing to a new school, or moving to a new house. Sometimes the changes were sad: the death of pets, the divorce of parents, and the moving to a new house.

As I reached adulthood, the vicissitudes of life were much more intense, perhaps because I did not have the buffer of parents to stand between me and the crash of the wave. I had a good husband, but for the majority of challenges, we faced them together--head on into the storm.

I look intently at my face in this photo and think, "Oh little one, you have no idea what's coming." But here's the interesting thing...it's okay. Even though I've spent a lifetime navigating the rough and smooth seas, I'm still okay. I still get that little gleam in my eye; I still giggle when my picture's taken, and I still hurry to take that first bite of apple.