A few days ago, I, along with my aunts and uncle and a
couple of cousins, sat on a front porch and visited for a few hours. It wasn’t
any front porch- it was my aunt’s and, also the home of my Great-Grandmother
and Grandfather Hines.
From the road the house looks very similar to the memories I
have of it as a child, with huge oak trees on both sides of the drive offering
a shady break from the summer sun. Inside the home, my aunt has worked very
hard to make the house her own. Her sweat and effort would impress the
producers of ‘This Old House’ with everything from replacing the wiring to
tiling the shower and floors. Her ability to do almost anything she sets her
mind to has always inspired and impressed me.
After touring the finished product and enjoying a piece of
homemade cake, we all went outside to sit a spell, as our ancestors might have
said. I couldn’t help but think how the conversations of our predecessors would
have been vastly different than ours. I’m sure they would have gathered there
and talked of things like the weather with speculations of how long the summer
showers might continue and their effect on their crops growing in the fields (they
didn’t have weather radar and forecasters). They would have at times talked
about the great wars and their concern for those fighting. They may have even
shared about the struggles of living through the depression- All things we
would never fully understand.
Yet, there are some things that both groups shared such as:
we all spoke of family and neighbors, the birth of children, the health of the
elderly, and upcoming marriages. It is that common ground that continues to
connect the future generations with the past. It is the reason why it is
important to stop and take a few hours to talk with those older than you. When
I think back to those who have gone on before me, I never regret times taken to
really listen to them. What I regret are the times that I missed because I was
too busy and didn’t dare stop and sit a spell.
As I get older, I am trying to remember the importance of
connecting and listening. One thing I have learned is that each day rolls into
another and before long that thing that you have been meaning to do, like talk
to grandma, goes away until one day you can’t; so take some time, pick up your
phone or make time to visit with someone you love today. I wish I could talk to
mine today!