I sat down that evening with a cup of fresh, steaming-hot coffee. This was just before the school bus would come and bring the children home.
The bus drops them off at the end of the long drive. They are running as fast as possible each trying to out run the other. Through the doorway, flopping onto the couch and trying to catch their breath while trying to convinced the others they beat them home. Then suddenly they come and give me a quick hug and off to the frig to get their after-school snack. I watch it all take place and as they inhale their snacks they are headed out to the bikes, basketball and sometimes a cane fishing pole. Each busy with their free time while inside I had prepared the night meal, had got my husband up to get ready for the night shift at his job. Now it was time to call them in for supper.
I heard the phone ring and I set my cup of now cold coffee down, answered the phone and all the while I am looking around the room and out side as well.
Oh my! There are no bikes in the yard, not even a bike track and the old goal post is gone and grass has taken over the court and the old cane fishing pole is out back where it was last stored. My husband has long since been deceased.
Then I realize that it had not actually happened that day but some good memories had taken up a large portion of my evening.
As I shared this with my daughter and as we laughed and cried together over this memory, we created another to be shared somewhere along the way.