Friday, January 26, 2024

MEMORIES……….are made of this!


 
I woke up today with a touch of a sore throat; not sick enough to make a request for light duty but uncomfortable to the point of not wanting to do much. I forced myself out of the bunk. You know how it is-- if you sleep during the day --night comes sleepless!

Not wanting to waste the day sniffing and drinking tea .. i do prefer coffee……I attempted to keep myself busy with my chores. My interest quickly waned and I found myself at my desk……I began sorting through the small cupboard that acts as our filing cabinet. Yes, reminding me of the past  boat rule: all items must have two purposes which now  applies to our land home……here in the Comox Valley.  

As I thought  of past years piled high within these  files of book work and accounts for our lives i managed a smile and reached  into the back section of the  cabinet.    I knew there was one file that held no numbers;  this plain ivory colored manila folder secured with an elastic band  tightly held my personal writing journal. I gently laid the file on the couch not wanting to disturb the memories or Mr. Jake our resident feline.  Returning to the task at hand the mundane chore of collecting information for the accountant I acknowledged the rather minimal amount and encouraged myself with thoughts that the job would be small.  Our life has changed!

Yet with this thought still fresh on my mind I ruthlessly rummaged through the other folders; brutal to the point of uncaring, these pages of old numbers and figures were thrown away without a further thought and after a few minutes a neat little pile was ready for the shredder. That would be my scissors as there is now  no place or energy in our minimalist life style  for frivolous electrical toys or should I say tools!  Previous new years,  I had gone through the same exercise which  had ended with a sense of accomplishment as I sat in my office chair sipping a cup of soothing hot tea probably nursing a cold then too. The memories now   vivid as i recalled what my eyes had wandered out to see.

Ahh the winter scene of a snowed in drive way at Southside in Powell River, then the waters of  Jarvis Inlet where we house sat on Phillips road … oh my goodness that was twenty three years ago……the year my dear mother Blanche Bedard died…….and then those mellow days in Comox after a snow fall  on Church Street…..then though it feels like just a few years ago at Kye Bay; a view of wild white winter waves smashing up against the beach spiting up the winter storm debris. This was a ritual was it not? Clean up the old and prepare for the new?



My mind continued to wonder…..my task still before me and i think…..ahh it can wait……


Another time the wind held a different picture; the coast of the Baja Peninsula of Mexico, more precisely a little fishing village. Quiet and complacent in their homes the twenty full time families went through their daily rituals of dropping their nets to supply their family locals with their catch. The morning turned into afternoon and thoughts of siesta: time of rest.   

As The Captain and I watched on a ray of sunshine spilling down onto the hard teak wood window casing that held the years of a time ago the  sense of unfinished business caused my eyes to returned to the files laying in front of me.  Not a cloud in the sky the sun shone down on us, mindless of who had numbers or not!  everyone waiting for the winds to drop. What was I waiting for?  The remains of papers lay in waiting for the recycle bin that I hoped I would find in La Paz or perhaps a little fire on the beach?

Memories: another four years passed and I sat again  in our beautiful floating salon.  The sun continued to shine and  a wisp of a wind whistled in the riggĂ­n  and the file of numbers is not thought  about; not a part of or  connected to the next chapter of the journey of people places and things.   Having travelled further south on the Pacific Ocean with lats and longs not far from the equator my spirit has woven a few more memories of people met and hearts softened. Our lives now calmer and not entangled in accounting.  No love lost there as i have never been good at math! LOL

It is difficult at times to remember those days without some sadness as yes, I do miss the simplicity … the calm.   Now to realize that yes they were lived and truly enjoyed.   Seems like such a long time ago………nearly nine years that we have returned to Canada……to our beloved west coast….to a life of a different routine. And i back to my keyboard…….sharing and  making more  memories!


Putting pen to paper  ….in this case  fingers to keyboard the truth remains the same:  a word the vehicle for our thoughts and our dreams of what we wish and the reality of what we live.  The Word .....ahhh  I treasure it as it  
tells who I really am.  The lesson  being learned is acknowledging the sacredness of  The Word! 

Hope you join me and leave a comment below…I truly pray that you too will sit today and cherish your memories.…


Happy New Year !

Wow! here we are 2024.... who would have guessed it would take this long to get back to one of my favorite places.....here on my Blog. Still at the same location here in Courtenay and life continues to be such a blessing......our health is good and our minds are clear.......yes, still together LOL! so much to share and so much to dare.......so we invite you to jump on board. Lets talk again really soon@