Summer Hide and Seek Memories

I remember when I was little there always seemed to be a bunch of us kids running around, especially during summer time. These were the days before video games and even video machines. We had to make our own fun. Since so many months of the year in Canada are quite cold, if a kid could beg, bargain or find a way to sneak outside, we were going to do it.

The kids in our neighbourhood would gather in someones yard and we'd just stand around and  talk sort of slow and lazy like:

"What da you wanna do?"

"I dunno. What da you wanna do?"

"Do you wanna sneak carrots from one of our gardens?"

"Naw.My Dad said we gotta stop doing that?"

"Ya. My Mom said that too."

"How bout we wrestle?"

"No. Too many girls here now. Mayb' later."

"How about a game of tag?"

"Can't. Joey's still not allowed to run lots on his sprained ankle."

"Bike ride?"

"Not ev'ryone's got one."

"How bout a game of  'Hide n Seek' ?"

Then suddenly someone would look up and say:

"OK. I'll be it! 1-2-3-4 ..."

And quick as a wink it would be kid chaos. 8 kids who had been just standing around, barely moving, start running in different directions all at once, laughing, squealing, shoving and bumping into each other, deciding to make hiding-allies or to 'go it alone', while the counting gets faster and more frantic.

"5-6-7-8..."

"which way. which way?"

"You can't hide there. I was gonna hide there."

"Help. Help. somebody help me. All the good places are gone."

"Hide by the bike shed"

"But I hid there last time. Help me find a good place."

"WHAT A BIG BABY YOU ARE"

"shh. He'll hear you"

"12-13-14-16-17"

"HEY STUPID! YOU FORGOT 15!"

"Oops. Sorry. I always do that. Where was I?"

"10-11-12 !"

"NO I WASN'T I WAS WAY PAST 12 ALREADY!"

"WHO CARES! JUST START COUNTING AGAIN!"

"OK. 1-2-3-4 ..."

" NOT AT ONE AGAIN! AND YOU'RE PEEKING!"

"AM NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

              .............................

"Shutup, Moron. Now listen, "

"Hey. You're not suppose to be back at the tree again."

"It's because you've messed up the counting and everyone has been hiding for FOREVER and is waiting for you to find them."

"So what should I do?"

"Hi. Can I come and hide with you?"

"What are you doing here? You're suppose to be hiding by yourself"

"But it's taking so long and there's a scarey bug at my hideout"

"OK. But shutup and GET down"

"Where should  I start counting from?"

"Uh. Gee. I don't know. Gimme a second to think."

"HEY! ARE WE STILL PLAYING OR WHAT?!"

"TELL HIM TO JUST COUNT TO TWENTY AGAIN AND IF HE MISSES ANY NUMBERS JUST SKIP 'EM. THEY'RE NOT IMPORTANT."

"OK!  Ya got that?"

"yup. 1-2-3-4 ...well don't just stand there. You gotta go hide again."

"Oh right. I forgot!"

"WAIT! THAT'S NOT FAIR!   HOW COME WHEN I HAD TO BE  'IT'  I HAD TO SAY ALL THE NUMBERS, BUT HE CAN SKIP SOME?"

"O, for crying out loud. Are we ever gonna get this game going?"

"WAIT! WAIT! Don't anybody speak or move."

"Why?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because ...kssjhfksdffffffssfkddjdssdhksdj.."

"Ok. But hurry."

"What's the problem?"

"Yeah. Where's she going?"

"She's gotta go to the bathroom."

"Ok. But why can't we move or talk?

"Yeah. Why?"

"She doesn't want to miss anything."

"I have to go too"

"OH GREAT!" 

"I've got a nose bleed again."

"Mayse well call it a night. We'll see ya."

"Yeah. I'm leaving too. Let's all meet back here bright and early"

"NIGHT EVERYONE!"

"Night!"

"NIGHT! (Gives me more time to practice my counting before tomorrow)."

"I'M BACK! YOU CAN START AGAIN! Hey. Where did everyone go? I said to wait for me."

"But it takes you so long to pee."

" I pee as fast as anyone! I just have trouble with my belt buckle."

"You're wearing a skirt, Stupid. Just lift it up."

"Oh. I never thought of that."

"That's because you're a dumb girl. Hurry up, hurry up, HURRY UP! I'M GONNA LOCK YOU OUTSIDE. I'M LOCKING IT, I'M LOCKING   IT! ...hee, hee, hee

. Why are you still outside? Did you lock yourself out?"

"I'M TELLING."

"Won't matter. Extravagant behavior is expected from me." 

  

"Oh, ok.  ....  What is  "stravant haffer" ?"

                               

                           .........................................

                     [chrip-et, chrip-et, chrp-et] 

                     ..................

       "Hey! Where is everyone? Is the game over? Hello? hello? ... HEY? I never got found.  [sniff, sniff ] " 

                                  

It's Weird What You Remember ...

... about someone after they have died. No matter how sick Mom was or how badly she felt first-thing in the morning, "before the pills kicked in", I would often hear her singing in the morning. And 9 times out of 10 it would be some ancient country western song or some goofy pop song from the 1950's.

So now when I'm falling asleep, thinking about how much I'll miss my best buddy and gently cry, what do you think goes through my brain?

Yup. The song, "I've Got Tears in my Ears from Laying on my Back and Crying Over You." (Yes. That's a real song and I'm going to miss hearing her sing it. )

One of the things death has taught me is it's all the things that makes a person odd and different that makes them the most precious. After Mom died and I came home from the hospital I was exhausted because I hadn't slept for 5 days. I decided to get out one of Mom's warm night gowns to wear that first night alone.
Out of all the nighties she had I was searching for one in particular. I had bought it for her and about 5 minutes after she first put it on she dropped a spoonful of chocolate pudding on it. She was so upset because she had "wrecked" such a nice nightgown. She felt especially bad because it was special to her because it had come from me and  from that moment on it would always hold that big chocolate stain right in front. No matter what she did she couldn't get that stain out.
Well, that first cold night (it was actually -32 degrees on that March 22 night she died), I knew I HAD to wear the night gown with the chocolate stain. It's the thing that made it hers. That's what made it precious to me. I love to look at that stain still.

Don't EVER try to be like someone else. How boring life would be if we were all the same. Accept and embrace who you are with all your oddities,  accidents, and your precious peculiarities.  You'll never know the joy of being loved just for who you are if  you AREN'T who you are. And that kind of love is SO worth it, even if you have to wait a long time for it , or if it  hurts miserably when it's gone. Because it never actually leaves. (which is another mind-blowing truth for another time).

Love Laura-Lee

Proverbs Six

"There are six things the LORD hates,

seven that are detestable to him:

 

haughty eyes,

a lying tongue,

hands that shed innocent blood,

a heart that devises wicked schemes,

feet that are quick to rush into evil,

a false witness who pours out lies

and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers."

 

Proverbs 6:16-19 

 

Standing Firm

I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything new but I'm still here and people are continuing to "accidentally" stumble onto my blog.

This last couple months have been difficult ones for me. I'm not just getting over Mom's death, but also the trauma of the past couple years which were extremely harsh for both of us. Mom and I would barely get our heads above water before another massive wave would hit us again and push us back under.  Sometimes I feel like a soldier who's been fighting in the trenches on the front lines and I've been granted some "R n R", only to discover I'm shell shocked.
The more I remember what Mom and I faced together, the more I'm realizing that Jesus was closer to us during all our troubles and heartaches than we even knew at the time. And during our final months together He impressed upon us a sense of urgency of time, so we never wasted a moment we had together. Arguments became unknown to us and we laughed enough for two lifetimes in only two years. God is good.

Yet sometimes it feels strange to be so desperately lonely for Mom, yet so fantastically joyful that she finally got rescued from her prison of sickness and pain. How do I  even begin to thank Jesus for all he's done? Every promise he's kept; every prayer answered; every weakness turned to strength. 
All these 35 years of knowing Jesus He's never broken a promise to us and that is what has allowed me to "stand firm" during this time.

 Thank you for continuing to be interested in my blogs and in me. And for your email messages, comments and especially your prayers, which have kept me going way past the point when I thought I would give up.

And a special message of appreciation to the wonderful lady who donated to Mom's charity, "Hope Mission", in memory of her. When you did that, Hope Mission sent me a card to inform me. It was the only one I received and it meant the world to me.  I'll remember you every day of my life for that gift you gave: to Hope Mission, to Mom and to me.

Love Laura-Lee