Remembering When

Tonight we had a belated birthday dinner for Maribeth at the Omni Hut, a restaurant in Smyrna, Tennessee. When we first moved to Tennessee, we lived in Smyrna for several years before moving to Nashville, but this was the first time we had dined at this establishment. We had a good time remembering old times and wondering how our lives would be different had we stayed in Smyrna. We laughed as stories were told and futures were imagined.

It's nice to visit where you've been because it gives you some perspective on where you are. For me, I was reminded of fun times my children experienced. It was good to hear their thoughts and perspectives on their childhoods. Sometimes motherhood got so busy that I forgot a lot of the daily goings-on, but by listening to each one, I was brought back to when they were little and playing in the back yard.

I guess that's the joy of family - by loving and enjoying each other in the present, we create those precious memories of the past that we'll reminisce about the in the future. What a great way to live a life!