From the Age of Innocence.......Sunrise

From the Age of Innocence.........Sunrise

Daybreak, an awakening, Mother Nature has cleansed her earth.  It's sound, sights and smells, unique to the moment darkness subsides and a faint glow of light shimmers on the horizon.  Listen and perhaps you'll hear the stirrings of a new day; breathe in the freshness of the early morning air and let it awaken your body and soul, peer into the fading darkness and bare witness the dawn of a new day. It invigorates your entire being!

As a child, fascinated by the sunrise, I'd wake early to view the still sleeping earth beneath my bedroom's cottage windows.  Much like shutters, these windows pulled open, allowing imagination to grow, dream and observe an ever changing and growing world.  The swaying weeping willow tree consuming most of the front yard allowed concealment and I was perched high in the tree tops, watching squirrels begin their morning foraging and birds feeding their growing offspring, the dawning of a new day, awe inspiring.  

During colder months, I'd close the bedroom door, pull open the windows and watch the stillness and beauty of the early morning snows, drifts creating an eery pattern in the frozen landscape, my weeping willow laden with the heavy snows, creaking, shivering yet protecting her small inhabitants nestled deep within her gnarly branches. Looking up, I'd watch delicate snow flakes fall gently to earth, no sound, no smell just the beauty of a frozen world, asleep, rejuvenating, ready to emerge as a warming sunshine rose above the horizon.  

Occasionally I crawl quietly back to my warm bed, windows closed, I lay still waiting for the house to awaken.  During this time, my mind filled with ideas, I couldn't wait for the rest to wake up.  My father, an early riser would make breakfast and conversation, waiting for the rest.  Thinking back, I must have drove him insane, I now understand, the beauty of the early morning quiet solitude, he never once complained, he listened, offered opinions and encouraged, but be too loved the time the earth awakens and the quiet softness of a new day.  We shared if often, unfortunately his quiet time shattered by a young and inquisitive child.

From the Age of Innocence..........the Wisdom of Mem

From the Age of Innocence...........the Wisdom of Mem!

Every kid in the neighborhood, knew Mem......she was iconic. Loving, understanding, quick tempered, a no nonsense personality, you always knew where you stood with her.  Short in stature with a softness in those loving eyes, Memere Delia better known as Mem, was the best grandmother.

Married at barely eighteen, the era of her youth considered the young woman past the marrying age, she was a "spinster." As the oldest daughter in a family that would eventually have sixteen kids, Mem's role was clearly defined; cook, clean, babysit, be a Mom.  Although she relished the role, her spirited nature yearned for the open road.  

As a single Mom of two, the depression years took their toll on family life.  Mem and her husband parted ways, Mem saying, "he gave me two beautiful kids, I want nothing more from that bastard!"  It wasn't until my early teen years, more personal info about the man would be shared.

Mem travelled far to find work. Her children in a boarding school, she did what she had to.  By today's standards, she was a personal chef, fact is the woman worked long hard hours, cooking for the "well to do."  No shame, just toughened the woman.  As times seemingly became better, she became more determined.  She returned home, kids no longer in boarding school, her mother and siblings, assisting with child care, it was now one big happy family.

Although my grandmother still spent an enormous amount of time away from her children, time spent in their company was nurturing, loving and by all accounts, quality. Mem's son, Roland, succumbed to polio, age ten much too young, his passing left deep wounds within my mother and grandmother's hearts.  

Life moves forward at a furious pace, times changed, economic outlook brightened, Mem found work close to home, her only child, my mother, forever thankful, her prayers answered. Continuing to live under her parents roof, Mem's younger brothers, became surrogate brothers to my mother; funny how blessed one can be!

Her childhood years filled with responsibilities, Mem, never had the opportunity to experience childhood, those years developed much to quickly. Yet, with the move back to her mother's house, she had the opportunity to grow with her only daughter.  They shared a bond like no other.  In later years as a grandmother, her playfulness, wit and street wise charm, passed lovingly to her granddaughters.

Always quick to offer her opinion, her mind remained sharp, she was an open-minded modern woman, evolving with the times.  Health issues plagued her but her wisdom was amazing.  She felt if she had to do it all over again, she'd work twice as hard and play even harder.  Her siblings often asking her opinion, they cherished her wisdom. Speaking with her younger sister after Mem's passing, she reminded me of my grandmother's wisdom and what she had accomplished.  She too missed the woman she said, she had a "wisdom beyond her years!"

Recently a much younger peer approached me asking for an opinion. After answering her questions, sorting all possibilities, she smiled and offered a thank you!" I always know you will be there and assist me, right, wrong or indifferent, you have years of experience and such wisdom!"  I hadn't thought of my opinions being full of wisdom and I secretly smiled knowing I might have listened to Mem and trusted her judgment.  As my peer turned and walked away, I smiled, sighed and quietly whispered, "thanks Mem, love and miss you bunches!"

From the Age of Innocence......Through the Eyes of a Princess

From the Age of Innocence........Through the Eyes of a Princess

People from all over our world pass through the gates of the most magical place on earth each day. Whether a child or adult, they anticipate the extraordinary.  Their reactions, especially those of a child, are nothing short of extraordinary.  

Princess Chelsea, an amazingly precocious four year old, attempting to get all fingers in elbow length formal white gloves, her older sibling noticing the difficulty, assists.  Gloves properly in place, our young Princess convenes her court.  When asked to name her favorite Princess, she declines. Each day, for whatever reason, Princess Chelsea allows a different Princess center court billing.  Chelsea's role, make everyone smile, be happy, "like the song," she shouts, then begins to sing.

We assume Chelsea has a back story, perhaps after lunch it will surface.  Over the course of the next hour, we watch without being obtrusive, her family dotes, Chelsea's antics, amusing, she is currently dawdling with her food, her grandmother encourages and with a wave of her "Magic Wand," our Princess magically transforms her food into make believe medicine that will "make her better!"

At four, Chelsea has been disease free for almost two years, prior to this sudden vacation, the stretch ended. Chelsea wanted to visit the Princesses, they make her smile, each day the family videos her visits, Chelsea watches these over and over, she is perfecting the wave.  With distant strains of music reaching her ears, "here comes the parade, hurry!"  She is now on a mission.  Telling the family it will pass by right in front, they take up residence in a shady viewing area, our Princess wannabe getting a lofty view from Dad's shoulders, "she is a wanderer," her mother softly smiles.

A warm muggy afternoon, Chelsea's impatience is now morphing into sleep, resting her little body flopped against her Dad's head, she softly reminds him, "wake me when you see a Princess any Princess,  Daddy!"  He assures her, for the moments she rests. Mom still videoing the on coming parade, "just in case the little one should miss the festivities."

Chelsea does not like needles, she fights, even the Magic Wand is rendered useless.  Her grandmother continues the story," it is our hope theses videos will make her smile, she will remember the happy days and take her medicine.  It is a bargaining tool, hopefully one strong enough so Chelsea won't cry and fight.

For now she's awake, mesmerized by the passing carriage, waving her hand in perfect synchronization wIth the Princess passing bye.  Sometimes little glitches turn into amazing miracles, for a brief moment, the parade stops and as the Princess looks at the small child on daddy's shoulders, Chelsea' eyes overflow with tears , they are tears of joy.  As her Princess waves and throws kisses, Chelsea makes believe she's catching them and begins singing "don't worry be happy!" Her family smiles, Chelsea smiles, " made you smile Mommy, that's my job!"

From the Age of Innocence......Ode to the Grass!

From the Age of Innocence...........Ode to the Grass!

As the sun rises above the horizon, water droplets cover, nourish and cleanse the earth becoming sparkling prisms, softly hugging the contrasting colors of green as the earth awakens each new day and with it, life emerges from this sea of green. Regardless of our age, it never ceases to amaze, whether pleasurably or a strong feeling of dislike, particularly when lawn maintenance is a chore.

As children, we eagerly awaited the late day showers of summer vacation months.  It not only provided a much needed cool down for all living things, but also created new possibilities during lazy hazy afternoon playtime.  Water, not yet absorbed by the thirsty roots, made an excellent place to splash, it's refreshing coolness and rejuvenated blades of grass against our summer tanned skin, created a personal spa.  A grassy slippery slope was also a fun way to spend time out in the afternoon summer rain once threatening skies turned to soft rain showers. The only downside of such refreshing fun, tremendous grass stains!

Much like the smell of summertime rain, fresh mowed grass awakens all senses.  Visually delightful, fresh scented and soft to the touch, it provides one of many happy  memories from my youthful years. Sitting under the apple trees in the backyard with neighborhood friends, perhaps munching on "Kool-Aid" ice pops or lying on your back, the softness of the green grasses embracing you. Watching the clouds softly float by, thoughts of such fancy free moments are most pleasurable, bringing a slight smile to our faces and a warmth within our heart.  Living in Florida, with its manicured year round greenery, the sights are comforting and enjoyable, although grass texture is a bit different from the New England lawns of my youth.  We now sit outside in the darkness of the evening, the earth begins to cool, the relentless day time scorching  from the Florida summer sun, now sleeps for the night. Continuing to make memories, we share the stories of past summer fun and agree, one should never lie in the Florida grasses. A decision based on the army of ants surfacing from beneath the soft green carpet, after recent torrential summer rains!

From the Age of Innocence..........Your Peas Please

From the Age of Innocence...........Your Peas Please

Most children, pretty fussy when it comes to trying and liking new foods.  As reactions go, I'd like to think my reaction to peas will go down in the history books a childhood dislikes. "Mom, I ate peas at Teresa's house last night,"the last word out of my mouth, realization set in, I was in a pile of..............!  

Years pass, taste evolves although my aversion to canned peas has not, preference is fresh, fresh and nothing but fresh.  As with most veggies, visual pleasure just as important as taste. Canned peas of youth, olive drab in color, mushy in texture, the odor reminiscent of something slightly spoiled and despite the passage of time, pinpointing the smell still remains a mystery.

If ever there was a traumatic food moment in my life, peas or should I say the one solitary pea that sat on my dinner plate for nearly two hours, qualifies as traumatic, as does the gagging reflex once it finally slipped down my throat.  For the record, it was never digested and probably holds the record for reappearance time once consumed.

Watching Andrew Zimmerman of "Bizarre Foods,"  I am awestruck and jealousy consumes my being, sometimes life is so unfair!  Should he find a food distasteful, nostrils may flair, but never a regurgitated projectile or least not televised.

Once in the grocery store checkout line, impulse items adorn every space of the narrow aisle leading to unloading area.  Magazines meant for purchase are read and re-read, hoping for inspiration. As the summer months wane, pages are filled with colorful recipes from nature's bounty, mostly healthy options, veggies prepared to visually dazzle and tantalize the tastebuds.  In my youth this might have assisted my brain in the fight between visualization, mushy taste and that distasteful smell!

From the Age of Innocence........A Lesson of Endurance

From the Age of Innocence..........A Lesson of Endurance

Page after page of Aa Bb Cc on triple lined extra wide penmanship paper, blisters bulging from the death grip of little fingers around an extra thick lead pencil, touted as "your first pencil!"  No eraser, larger circumference than upper grade pencils, considered a "miracle pencil" although not particularly user friendly, first graders endured the grueling task of learning, producing and reproducing the alphabet until the teacher deemed it either perfect or perhaps sufficient torture had been endured.  Allowed to take our "school work" home, it adorned the front of the refrigerator until either the next letter was learned or the wrinkled document mysteriously disappeared.

Having an older sibling, definitely benefited my learning.  What she practiced at home, I mimicked.  If she wrote, I wrote, if she read...I attempted and yes, it was beneficial until it was required learning.  Perhaps boredom wasn't as bad as it seemed, class room windows large and in warmer weather, opened, allowing springtime freshness to permeate the air.  A great atmosphere for afternoon daydreaming much to the annoyance of the teacher.

As the school years progressed, movement into the next grade level, penmanship still an important part of the learning plan, cursive much more exciting and expressive than plain old block print.  Large, three lined writing paper, now passé, eraser topped slim lined pencils made those curly lined letters so much easier, one could express themselves so much more, much to the chagrin of the educator walking the aisle between desks, pointer in hand as if a fine arts class was in session. Unfortunately my cursive interpretation of the letter "A" bore no resemblance to the example on the blackboard.

Looking back, perhaps these teachings were necessary. Some say your signature is indicative of your personality, we won't go there.  It was also said messy handwriting belonged to doctors, I must be an exception.  If this be true, pharmacists are brilliant, although mistakes do happen; they tell you what the pill should look like, just in case.

Cursive may soon be a thing of the past, news ways to express oneself will always evolve. With technology moving forward at lightening speed, a mere point and click, perfect penmanship every time, Totally embracing all technology, with no ill-feelings of what I had to endure eons ago, the only possible conclusion is, "I was born at least a half century too early!"

From the Age of Innocence..........A Colorful Memory

From the Age of Innocence..........A Colorful Memory

Mary Blair was an American artist, born in Oklahoma in 1911; although her name is not widely known, her works have injected vivid color, profound meaning and through diverse interpretations creates joyful, happy and most assuredly pleasant and lasting memories for millions.

First introduced to the art of Mary Blair in 1964 at the New York World's Fair, her brightly colored characters, wide-eyed, smiling children from around the globe, made "It's a Small World," a very lasting memory, a reminder the children of the world are this planet's future. As adults, we tend to forget the implications of our actions; in our minds they are justified.  However, these very same actions in the eyes of our children,  become learned behaviors.  

Some of Mary Blair's earlier art works includes a brief stint on Disney's Dumbo, an earlier version of Lady and the Tramp and a second version of Fantasia titled "Baby Ballet," release in the late 1990's, long after her death. All these childhood films created happiness and a sense of goodness and well being, Mary Blair is and was an artist extraordinaire!

Occasional visits to Disney World's Magic Kingdom, sans the crowds, to this day, creates the same sense of inner peace within my being. The age of innocence abounds, adults experiencing the world of magic through the eyes of the children and if only for a moment in time, are free from a world of worry. 

Bold colors, smiling faces, whimsically painted animals, entice all, while Mary Blair's legacy continues to delights all ages.  It reminds us to smile, be happy and understand the cultures of the world and it begins through the eyes of the future, our children!