TITLE: The Journey Back By Ricky Flowers 10/15/07 |
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The Journey Back
By Rick Flowers – October 14, 2007
I awoke this morning to the sun rising in the sky and as I stepped outside, the coolness and crispness in the air took me back many years to a time when things seemed much simpler than now. It was a time when technology didn’t run the world, people did. A time when there were fewer worries and when people seemed to care more about each other than they do now. Children played with wagons and rode bicycles, played with wooden blocks and dolls without heavy battery packs. It was a time when people spent time on the porch talking or just sitting and reading the paper or a good book. Children played kickball or just goofed off in the yard, chased butterflies and explored their world.
I remember those days. Some memories are foggy but others jump out at times and give me a feeling that cannot be expressed in words. I remember the days of only Black and White TV, before the days that computers began to take up much of our time. The days before VHS, DVD, Blue Ray, MP3 and Video Games began to consume our time. The days when mothers took care of their children instead of pawning them off to grandmother, the days when parents spent time with their children, helped them learn to love and grow and experience happiness.
It was a time when adults were not afraid to discipline, before the fear of lawsuits and criminal charges existed for spanking your child. It was a time when adults were in charge rather than the children they brought into this world. It was a time when the percent of families with two parents far outweighed the families with only one. It was a time when schools used a big wooden paddle to get the point across and before they took God out of the classroom. A much simpler time when families were families rather than just people living together, passing in the hallway at home.
I remember the days when there were no worries about guns in the sacred hallways of our schools, children were better behaved and teachers did not consider the classroom a dangerous place to be. A time when there were only three channels on TV to feed us rumors and nonsense about what is going on in the world. Before cable and Satellite TV
I remember the days when there were only one or two radio stations and AM was a big thing. I remember my mother listening to the old classics on the record player and going to church on Sundays and Wednesdays. I remember the tent revivals and social gatherings that made us feel a part of something good. I remember working in my grandfather’s garden, hoeing potatoes, shucking corn and stringing beans. I remember the days that my mother canned everything from beets to rhubarb and every meal was home cooked, long before the fast food restaurant popped up on every corner. It was a time that seemed simpler, carefree and more laid back. If I could go back, I would.
For a moment, I had flashbacks of hellish memories as well. There were times of dark and terrifying moments in my life that are better left untold. Today I choose to remember the good times. Memories brought to mind by the beauty of the day. The smells of nature, the feel of the crisp, cool air, the beauty of the crystal clear blue sky. A day like today where you can close your eyes and go anywhere you want to go.
With that said I wrote the following words:
The Journey Back
By Rick Flowers
As I opened the door and walked outside
My mind began to go
To places in my memories
That only I could know
It was as if I began to fly
Through all of time and space
To a time when things were different
Much simpler in that place
I remember the feeling like none before
Soaring above the earth
Back to that place in my memory
Back to the place of my birth
I remembered only the good times
No unpleasantness came to mind
I was grateful in that moment
To have left those things behind
As I looked around I saw many things
That bought joy to my soul
The memories of my childhood
The things that make me whole
It was a time when family was first
Everything was shared
A time when things were valued
When nothing could be spared
A time when there was togetherness
People counted on each other
You always had your mother
You had your sister or your bother
And though there were time of heartbreak
And many hard times came our way
The family was always together
At the end of every day.
These are the memories that came to mind
As I stepped outside today
I’m grateful for the feeling
As I start another day
To be able to sift thorough all the bad
That happened in my life
All the pain and heartache
The disappointment and the strife
Is a gift that only God can give
Only He can take us there
So close your eyes and clear your mind
And be taken in the air
You will experience the peace of mind
That only He can give
The happiness that you long for
Throughout this life you live.
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