This time of year brings back a lot of memories for me. Memories of times past. Times before computers, cell phones, cable, digital technology, and all the distractions. In those times I lead a very simple but yet fulfilling life.
I come from country stock. People who immigrated to this country and cut out lives for themselves in a new land. They were simple people. Their lives were centered around God, family and country, in that order. Life was not rushed and simple pleasures were enjoyed and cherished. Memories were made and not forgotten.
This is where my memories begin. Some of my favorite memories happen to be winter memories. I am not exactly sure why that is, but I am comforted by winter. Maybe it is because the snow is like a blanket bundling all of God's glorious kingdom until spring arrives.
My strongest memory is going out to the barn after supper. In winter that means a trip to the barn in the darkness of night. A small yard light illuminates the path. The chill of the night air fills my lungs. The cold starts to penetrate the layers of clothing. The barn door is cracked open. The warm moist air filled with all the smells of a barn, manure, corn silage, hay, and cows enter my nostrils. None of the smells are unpleasant. Combined the odors are sweet and soothing.
Along with the smells are the quiet sounds. Sounds of cows jostling for position for the last scraps of feed in the manger. I can hear the cows licking the manger clean and chewing contentedly, whether new feed or their cud. The cats start to meow realizing food was about to be provided. The calves are bellow greedily for their milk.
The lights are turned on in the barn, the door is closed, and the warmth and sights of the barn envelope me. I shed the outer layers and prepare to provide the herd with their second course. Working in the evening feeding the herd is as big a part of my memory as the sights and sounds. Each movement was automatic. Each motion was rhythmic and efficient learned from repetition. Ground feed was loaded in the wheel barrow. Silage was forked down from the silo. Hay was tossed down out of the mow. Favorite cows were given a little extra ground feed, much like a begging dog gets another cookie. Time slowed down. Thoughts were pushed aside and I lived in the moment. No worries, just overwhelming peace.
When the chores were over, it was time to button up the barn for the evening. The exit was a reverse of the entrance. The layers of clothes were put back on, lights turned off, exit into the night air, barn door was closed, and the quiet trip to the house in the dark night air of winter. A light in the kitchen was my beacon. Inside the house awaited other memories in the making. Time together with family playing games at the table, discussing days events, solving the world's problems, praising God for all the blessings, and going to the Lord in prayer.
Are all memories good ones. No, I suppose not. Maybe they aren't even all that accurate, but the memories I have are mine. They are comforting and pleasant. They are of days gone by when things were simple and less complicated. People new how to be patient and enjoyed each others company. Technology is a great thing and I don't want to go back to not having it, but memories help me to remember that they are only tools. Memories remind me to slow down and enjoy the good with the bad.
Take time to make your own memories and relive the ones you already have. Share them with your friends and family, especially during the Holidays.
God bless and stay safe.
[this is good] Very nice, Mark.
Posted by: MissBirdlegs in AL | 11/25/2009 at 03:50 PM
You and I share a similar up-bringing. I grew up on the N-Bar ranch in central Montana. Unfortunately, the N-Bar is being sold now. In 1998, when my family traveled back to Montana to visit my family, I went back to the N-Bar to visit, but even though I grew up there, I wasn't permitted to travel of the main gravel road. A sign of the times, I guess. Here is a link to the article, if you would care to see where the ranch is located in Montana. http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_9eec808a-2333-11df-916f-001cc4c002e0.html
Posted by: MTCowboy | 02/28/2010 at 12:07 PM