“Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.” ― Marcel Proust

Good morning and welcome. Have you ever noticed how that your memory of something special differs from other folks in how they remember it? That's one of the things that is percolating around and giving my gray cells a workout on this Thursday, October 23, 2014. Someone set up a Facebook page dedicated to memories associated with the little rural area where I grew up. After dad passed away in 1954, we moved from Texas to that little Louisiana town and lived in and around there until we left to take a job here in the Houston area in 1969. We've been in this area ever since. That Facebook page gives folks an opportunity to look back and remember old times, friends, landmarks, and some antics thrown in for good measure. I enjoy reading these. Except. Many of them are designated as back in the good old days but they are from those who were there in the 1970's. I didn't know they had torn down that old place. No one told me. How dare they make changes to the places that were special to me. I suppose there's not too many of us from my age group who post on that site because a whole lot of the stuff is after our time. Maybe I need to make a new page and dedicate it to the correct recollections that belong to my era. One fellow asked if anyone remembered that movie theater that was there for a short time. We've never had a downtown movie theater. Who ever heard tell? The only movies I ever heard of was this fellow who charged people to watch films in his backyard on an outdoor screen. (The one mounted over our fireplace is probably bigger than the one he had.) All the shows were black and white and I remember sitting on the fence watching them across the way even though I couldn't hear what they were saying. Those younger guys writing about the good old days don't have a clue about real history. They even got some of the names of the swimming holes wrong. What? They may have renamed them? The nerve! You do know what I am talking about. Right?

I do hope you recognize all of that stuff was written mostly for fun. Things change. Places change. People change. That's the way life works. Many of the changes I was joking about reflect progress being made. New things. New services. Those folks living back there today have a town provided water and sewer system, garbage pickup, and a volunteer fire department. Believe me, when I lived there the alternatives to these improvements were not always very pleasant. I am well aware that our way of seeing things sometimes wants to trap our past, clean it up with our recollections of the good, and then somehow make it the reality we wish for. Mom and dad have central air and heat today. They have a backup generator that automatically takes over when the power goes off. I well remember those good old days of laying in the bed on a hot summer night, all sweaty and wishing and praying for just one breath of cool air. I also remember the unstable power where we were all at the mercy of whenever it was restored. I'm not against walking down memory lane. I love those strolls, but, I also try to include the good, the not so good, and the really tough things as well. That doesn't mean I'm not upset about them changing some of the landmarks I loved. Maybe I can get them to check with me before they do that again. Maybe not.

The trick is to not get stuck in a rut on that memory lane excursion where you stay locked into your own vision of how it was way back then. We pretty much are well aware that the day we are dealing with at the present moment is about the only one we can do much with. Right? I read about some of those antics those kids got caught up in, and while they might bring a smile today, back then they would have brought a belt to the backside, if not something even more serious. I don't share too many of those kinds of stories on myself because I'm not so proud of some of the 'boys will be boys' adventures we got tangled up in. Some were funny perhaps but many of them were not right back then and they are not right today. That too is part of what we learn in life. I say enjoy the past and embrace the people and places that influenced your life. I'm thankful that I have plenty of those memories to help encourage me. I need to use them as a motivation to help me to be an positive influence on others. Today. Doing that is not easy but it will someday provide the memories to others that will help to continue the cycle. Okay. Take care and may God bless us all is my prayer. Amen.   ....More later.