It Was the best of Times

~ rabbitpatchdiary.com

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Yesterday was the kind of day I want to always remember.  It was the best of times.  I did not win the lottery nor was bestowed any title of honor-those would have been lesser deeds in my moments.  I left the old house on the rabbit patch in an old car.  I came back the same way to the same place-yet I knew for certain, that I was wealthy, yesterday, and that my life far exceeds what “the world” deems successful.  

Jenny was in a wedding yesterday, so Lyla and I stayed at my parent’s house for several hours, til the newlyweds were officially married and had danced for a long while afterwards.  Meanwhile, I was attending an event, that I realised soon enough, was every bit a celebration and every bit as sacred as the one, Jenny was attending.

Mama had Lyla in a wagon, when I got there.  It was sweet sight to come across and it just made me happy.  I am older now and know little for certain, but a great grandmother pulling a wagon with her grand daughter’s child in it, is a thing of beauty.

Daddy was outside in a few minutes of my arrival looking under the hood of my car.  He checked everything and declared the car a safe way to get around, after all.  Daddy is eighty one years old and I am in my late fifties, and that did not matter.

 In less than fifteen minutes,  I had seen authentic and everlasting love in my parents and their “ordinary” ways.  

Lyla walked around the yard and examined pine straw very carefully-she did the same with leaves.  I did not rush her thoroughness, but instead joined in and saw that pine straw actually shines in sunlight. We watched a hive of honeybees at a safe distance.  They were working frantically, as they know it is autumn, too.  There was a quite a bit of activity.  Lyla watched a while intently-and so I did too.  I marveled that the whole affair was so well orchestrated.  Humans would have surely been pushing and shoving one another -but the bees worked  efficiently towards their purpose of “the greater good for all” and I took note of that.

After supper, I found  mama and Lyla on a bed.  Lyla was jumping as best she could and mama was laughing.  Ever so often Lyla would stop and hug mama.  Lyla was not tired after all, but was playing the way babies do and mama was laughing the way grandmothers do.  It did not seem so long ago that Jenny had done the same thing- and then again it did.

I have lived in several houses in my life.  I have worked at different jobs and driven many different cars.  My phone number has changed several times over the years.  Trends do not appeal to me and I do know that “all that glitters is not gold”.  It is the things that remain constant that I value above all else, I realise .  Authenticity does not change up, but shows up in the same familiar forms and in my life- in the same places-like the north star itself.  

I do not know what the future holds. . . but I do know what the past held.  For me, it is love, pure and simple.  It is the one thing that I have been able to depend on and it is the only thing that even matters.  

25 thoughts on “It Was the best of Times”

  2. Beautiful!!! Haven’t seen Lyla in a few days..she changes so much each time I see her…I know she had fun with all of you. Between the two of us she ought to love flowers..I know she already loves the out of doors!!

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  4. You are wealthy indeed!! The picture you painted of your folks with your granddaughter was so precious! I loved reading about your dad checking your car over…..my dad is 83 and still checks the tires on our car and asks when we have changed the oil. My husband has started doing this to our kids!
    I love reading your posts and so I have nominated you for the Black Cat Blue Sky Award. If it works for you to participate that would be great!. I would love to read your responses to the questions and see what you ask of someone else. You can find the rules for this award on my post…. https://thechickengrandma.wordpress.com/2016/09/23/the-black-cat-blue-sea-award/

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  8. So special how you see ‘big’ messages in the little details, like the bees working together. I can’t help feeling that more people need to thing this way.

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  11. I will hold this sentence close until its wisdom seeps in and becomes part of me: “It is the things that remain constant that I value above all else.” Because. after all, what else matters? thank you for this post filled with quiet joy.

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  12. What a joy it must be to have you as a good friend (above) I’m trying to piece the comments together to make sense, but not having much luck.
    Your writing is heartfelt and beautiful.

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