Nostalgia

I'm feeling very nostalgic this Christmas season, which you could probably tell from my "Christmas Memories" posts.  Maybe nostalgic isn't quite the right word.  I'm not yearning for the past, but I'm trying to remember it as much as I can.  I think I put my finger on the reason this morning while driving to work.  At this point in my life, I am closer to that time in the lives of my parents than I have ever been.  My memories of childhood are the memories my parents have from their thirties and forties.  Being 35 now, and married, I feel closer to them than ever, simply because I remember them at this age and what they did for us.  Being married and talking about the future, the family we will have one day, is making me want to remember my past and the family I came from, so that I will never forget what my parents did to make my childhood so warm, loving, and special.  I always felt safe, always felt protected, and never felt unsettled.  I never felt like there was a crisis or a problem, even when we had lean years on the farm and there wasn't as much money as there normally was.  When my mother was 35, I was 7 years old.  I remember thinking she was the most beautiful person on the planet, and my dad was the smartest.

I am making myself remember these things because I want to be the same kind of mother my mom was to me.  And when we start trying to have children (and when we do, we will NOT be telling people because frankly, it's nobody's business until the stick shows two lines - or a plus mark or whatever those sticks say these days, lol) I want to keep in mind the lessons my parents taught us through simply being good people.

Lessons I carry with me to this day:
- Be kind and compassionate with everyone.  You never know what someone may be going through at any given time.
- It really is better to give than to receive.  Give more than you get, because you will be happier in the end.
- Keep God in your life and talk to Him often.
- Family is important.  Keep them close to your heart, even when they can't be close to you physically.
- And so many other lessons I can't even repeat all of them.

So I want to take this moment to thank my parents for being so great.  Not everyone had parents like I did, which makes me even more grateful for my childhood.  I want my children to say that about us one day on their blogs or whatever they do in the future!  I truly believe they will.