the woods

my mom is really interested in what she calls "visual history". basically, what she is referring to are the artifacts that we have that evoke a memory from something in our past. she likes to collect pieces of visual history that remind her of her life before her mother passed away. i think that is the root of her love for antiques. she really enjoys perusing an antique store and finding something that she remembers her mother having in their house when she was a little girl. her mother died when she was rather young and these items help to transport her mind back to that time. it helps keep the memory of her mother alive and vibrant.

interestingly, my dad's mom also has a thing for visual history. as she has downsizes from the home she lived in with my grandfather, to the apartment that she now resides in, she has made a point to share her trinkets with children and grandchildren. each little thing that she has given me is special. when i look at them in my home, they transport me back to my childhood. i can remember where they were located in her home and am often flooded with the happy memories that i have from trips to her home. they always make me remember my special relationships with my grandfather, cousins and her.

today, scott and i took the girls on a walk through a bike path in the woods. we have never done this before. mostly because i am highly allergic to poison ivy and i have the tendency to catch it if it is in a ten mile radius. as an adult, i don't really spend much time out and about enjoying nature unless it involves a beach. sad, but true. as a little girl, however, i grew up in the woods.

at the end of our street was a huge field and just beyond that was a glorious playground, the woods. the kids in my neighborhood spent most of our summers building forts, picking berries, playing hide and go seek all deep in the woods. we would head out in the morning, often packing a lunch, and return at dinnertime.

as we walked along the bike path, my eyes were transported back in time. each flower that i saw, the thistle, the stream, the smell of the trees... all of it carried me back to my childhood. the visual history that pored out from this walk surprised me. i didn't realize how much i missed the woods and i had sort of tucked those memories back into a forgotten corner of my mind. as we walked i told stories to e about my childhood and shared a little bit of my past with her. it was a special time.

her highlight was climbing down a little slope and looking for fish in the creek. she was fearful at first, but then got her nature groove on and became a pro at climbing the embankment. these daddy/daughter moments are ones that i will add to the visual history of the woods. they are priceless.