Treasures From My Parent's Barn

one of my favorite pics of my parents from 1968

Every time I come to my parents I get giddy thinking about the treasures I might find from the barn to bring home and recreate with.  This time has been no different!

Josh has learned not to ask if I am going to be bringing something back to add to our eclectic Colony home, instead he just smiles and says, "I wonder what you will be coming home with this time".

I've already begun a small pile by the barn door that consists of some fencing, window shutters, random pieces of wood, an old crate box thing and a planter.  And I'm sure I'll find some other fun things to add to the pile (if I can fit them in the car, ha!).

As much as I was looking forward to scouring every nook and cranny of their huge red barn for any treasures I've missed the other dozens of times I've been in their, I have found something even better to treasure at my parents home.

Every other time I come (minus the last time I came for my mom's mastectomy) I have had my multitude of children with me.  I love them, but they can make conversation, um, how should I say it...nearly impossible rather difficult.  So getting to a point in a conversation beyond surface can be a bit of a challenge.

But this week it is just me and my mom.
I have found this treasure in my mom that I don't think I ever took the time to realize, or maybe just had the opportunity to find.  But with all this time on our hands as we wait for the effects of the chemo to run their course we have had a lot of time to reflect and just enjoy each others company.

What a treasure it has been to just sit and be with my mom.
To remember my childhood.
To learn about hers!

I would ask her something that would lead to a story or fact that I had never even heard of about my mom (she had a nervous breakdown as a schoolteacher one time as she worked tirelessly to figure out the best way to teach this difficult class she had been assigned to), which would lead to another story (she had a wig in the 70's so this new "do" of hers isn't her maiden voyage!) and another memory (she has a "short green mini skirt" that my dad she loved that always comes up in conversation;)...another little bit of my moms past that I get to store away to share with my kids one day.

Oh the things I've learned!

The places she's lived
The memories of her childhood
The children she taught
Her memories of her own parents

What a treasure these stories have become.

Life is fleeting.
We are not guaranteed another day.
Take advantage of the time you do have with the people you love and listen.
You'll be surprised at the things you'll treasure in your own heart from the things they share.