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| (third from left) Carole Mason 1944-2005 |
I would have loved to pass on some of the funny and wonderful things and thoughts that my sister would probably say to you on your 15th birthday but these are times remembered and times forgotten for me. After thinking about it and praying about it for several days, my heart is telling me to follow my prime directive as a writer which is to write from my own experience and offer to few words of wisdom of my own.
Growing up in the early 1950s and 60s was a peculiar time of wonderment for myself and many a young girl. We were growing up in a time when the world was changing faster than our brains and inner spirits could keep up with. I was 15 years old in 1965 - wow!
In 1965 we were the first to rebel against what we called the establishment. We screamed and loudly protested against the real and percieved wrongs of American life to any and everyone that would listen. We were convinced of what is wrong in our society and were, of course, quick to remind our elders of how they had messed up our environment, the political system that we were beginning to understand could not be trusted, our home lives which was now labled with a new word - dysfunctional and there were far too many things that we were not being educated about.
Not knowing how we could change any of this we yelled louder, "hell no, we won't go!" We became the hip generation; the flower children that set our own style in our music, the way we dressed, the way we created our art and the way we thought. We made some amazing discoveries about our bodies and ourselves, our belief systems and our culture.
By the time I was 15 my two sisters had already graduated to a different level of life's adventures. I was lonely and terribly misunderstood. I thought that mama didn't get it and I was pretty sure daddy didn't care. I was screaming for guidance and I longed for someone to talk to that "gets me".
I believe I am writing this today because I am getting ready to celebrate this marvelous age of 65 where I can say that I have finally reached the age of senior adulthood. You see I have been feeling much the same way a pre-teen must feel before they cross over to teen-dom. You know, not a kid anymore but not really a full fledged teenager either.
With that said, this seems a good a time as any to reflect on my life thus far. I wonder how different my life may have been if I had parents that really understood the importance of talking to me and not at me? How different would the lives my siblings be if this had been so?
I'm pretty positive that my parents loved me but during that strange and peculiar time they were doing the best they could to clothe and feed us. Communication on the needs, desires and dreams of a silly teenage girl was real low on the priority list.
Don't get me wrong, I don't have any regrets. I just so happen to be pretty happy about how my life turned out inspite of. I am just wondering that if things had been different, would I have learned the fine art of listening more intently? Perhaps I would have learned to express my true feelings more profoundly - if there is such a thing. Would my dreams and life expectations been more colorful and vivid - perhaps imaginative and I would have come to the the understanding sooner that my dreams are indeed possible and even achievable?
Would I have come to trust God the way I do now if things had been different for me growing up? Probably not. I doubt seriously if would have come to love life and appreciate all the good and bad of it like I do this day. Just how many things, that I cry over today, would be things that I take for granted had life dealt me a different hand? By-the-way, I do cry over the smallest and simplest things. Things like a baby laughing. When they are real little and they laugh I wonder if they learned how to do that in heaven. I cry over old movies, fields of flowers and majestic mountain ranges. You know, I have finally learned to settle my spirit and stop and smell the sweetpeas!
If I have any words of wisdom to pass on to you, my precious, it would be these: Pay attention to life and always be present in mind, body and spirit. In other words, take care of yourself and love yourself . Appreciate the blessing of great parents that care and listen and are there to propel you forward toward the fullfilment of your dreams. Never, ever be afraid of making mistakes because it is through our mistakes that we reach our fullest potential. And, above all else, always keep a grateful heart - love God and trust God.
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Remember to stop and smell the sweetpeas...Happy Birthday, Miss Hannah! |
Books by Debi Mason:
What I Thought Was So Just Ain't - Aging through God's Grace
Amazon.com (paperback)
Amazon.com (Kindle edition)
Barnes & Noble (paperback)
Barnes & Noble (NOOK edition)
ISBN-13: 978-0692236475
Release: June, 2014
Arizona Clay: A journey of self-discovery
Amazon.com (paperback)
Barnes & Noble (paperback)
ISBN-13: 9781606964880
Release: June, 2009
Follow me on Twitter: @DebiOak
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