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| Old Tower Road |
The last 12 days Will and I
have spent our time exclusively together while his mom (Anne) and his sister
Abby were in Texas helping Anne’s sister and family move. During the women’s absence, Will and I have
come to be closer than ever before.
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| Loon Lake where I fished as a child. |
During this time, Will and I
have traveled to my hometown of Jackson, Minnesota for two days. We went to the cemetery to see my dad’s
grave, gone fishing in the river, as well as one of the nearby lakes. We visited with relatives, and we spent time
together reliving my old childhood days when Will and I went to locations that I
spent time in as a child growing up.
One day when talking to a
person from my past, she said, “You look like a Thurmer!” And at that moment, I glanced over and lovingly
looked down at my son and thought, he too is a reflection of me. This boy is a part of who I am, and I have the
privilege to share with him my past. Whether
we would be sitting in my childhood theatre or walking down a familiar street,
I would share with him what I did when I was his age. For Will, I am hoping that he will grow up
knowing that he has a connection with this life that I led as a child, for he
too, “Looks like a Thurmer.”
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| Will looking at my father's grave site. |
I have come to realize that
we are a grand collection of past events that make us who we are today. Some parts of our past we have dis-guarded
like worn out clothes that have no value in our lives anymore. While other past events, we treasure, and we
choose to keep them. My little 9 year
old daughter told me a short time ago that she was keeping some outfits for “her”
little girl. I have come to realize that
we do the same with memories that we cherish.
When walking through my hometown, I too was keeping and giving my
cherished clothes to my son in the form of fond remembrances. Ones that I hope he will keep in his heart
and give to his son one day.
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| Will enjoying the Homecoming Parade, and of course the candy thrown to him. |
