Wiregrass Seniors Magazine September 2018 SEPTEMBER ISSUE(1) | Page 5

WiregrassSeniorsMagazine.com
Keep Them Close!
I grew up in the 60 and 70's with very practical
parents. A mother, God love her, who washed
aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused
it. She was the original recycle queen, before they
had a name for it... A father who was happier
getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones.
Their marriage was good, their dreams focused.
Their best friends lived barely a wave away.
I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and
a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one
hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time
for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen ra-
dio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress.
Things we keep.
It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me
crazy... All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I
wanted just once to be wasteful waste meant af-
fluence. Throwing things away meant you knew
there'd always be more.
But then my mother died, and on that clear
summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room,
I was struck with the pain of learning that some-
times there isn't any more.
Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used
up and goes away...never to return. So... While we
have it.... it's best we love it.... And care for it...
And fix it when it's broken........ And heal it when
it's sick.
This is true for marriage..... And old cars..... And
children with bad report cards..... And dogs with
bad hips.... And aging parents.... And grandpar-
ents. We should keep them close because they are
worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we
keep; like a best friend that moved away or a
classmate we grew up with.
There are just some things that make life
important, like the people we know who are spe-
cial to us........ And so, we should keep them close!
Good friends are like stars..... You don't always
see them, But you know they are always there.
Keep them close!
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