Things I Would Say

 Becky and I stumbled across this letter in an old abandoned house.  It was written by a woman who was nearing the end of her life.  A lot of what she has to say has meaning to those of us still alive.  It is kind of sad in a way because we don't think that who ever she meant to have read it, ever saw it. The place was more or less intact and had been empty for 10-15 years.  It was left in a stack of papers in a drawer, along with a bunch of pictures and so forth.  But I thought that I would share it here so that all who read it can think about what she is saying pertains to their life.  The main message that I get is to not worry about the past - or the future.  Live in the now.

The Woods

 Went to Dad's today to help him clear out some fence line for the calves that he plans to buy this fall.  While working I stopped to take a break.  I was next to the woods that surround the house.  By moving slightly I could block the view of the house and see the woods as I saw it 50 years ago.  When cowboys and Indians, civil war soldiers and lumber jacks ran amongst the tree's.  The forts and teepees that we built - all those memories came back to me. 

Flashes of memories go by - drinking water from a mason jar.  Catching minnows from a nearby creek.  The time we knocked over an old hollow tree and tried to dispatch a possum with our makeshift arrows and bows made of sticks and twine.  Somehow no one got hurt that day, and the snarling possum made a hasty get away.  Camping overnight and the thunderstorm that struck, worried parents came and picked us up.

Mighty maple and sturdy hickory trees, oh the battles they saw once upon a time.  Do they remember me as I remember them. That pile of rocks there, that was once good to hide behind. 

The boys are all gone now, some forever.  But in the woods I can still see them and hear their war whoops as they chase down Johnny Reb. 

I take another sip of water and put my gloves back on, break time is over time to get back to work. The spell is broken and its back to reality. Well to folks driving by it's just a patch of trees, but at one time it was the Woods.