For six years of my childhood, we lived in a tiny town in Louisiana. Everybody knew everybody else, all of the kids went to the same schools, and it was not uncommon to be in the local paper for some reason or another. Life moved a little slower, felt a little safer, and excitement came in the form of the parish fair, rodeo, circus, or local parade. The Christmas parade in those days was always a big event and my sisters and I usually ended up participating in some capacity whether it be for a sports team, dance studio, marching band, or girl scouts. There was even a year that I was not going to be in it at all, but my sister's float needed kids dressed up like presents and so I happily obliged. In those days, dressing yourself in a wrapped cardboard box with a bow on your head was worth it if it meant being in the parade. It was the small town life, and I have such fond memories of those times.
Fast forward twenty years later and I sometimes feel as if I'm having moments of deja vu. This small town in the middle of Illinois stirs so many of those memories that I had long forgotten about, and a piece of me feels as if I've rediscovered snippits of my childhood that had been buried away for awhile. As Josh and I stood on Main Street (in the freezing cold mind you)watching our little town's parade go by, I couldn't help but smile as my brain was flooded with fond childhood memories. The parade was short and sweet (which I was actually thankful for due to the fact that my toes were frozen), but the two of us stood there with wonder as we enjoyed a perfect holiday moment. As I stood there cozied up to my husband, I was overcome with how sweet life can be. Through all of the chaos and craziness, all of the nights of working late or being frustrated with mundane everyday activities, it's the moments of sheer happiness that remind you how good you've got it. And this Christmas, man we've got it good. And it's even sweeter to think that next year at the Christmas parade, we will stand and watch as our sweet baby Jake's face lights up when the floats pass by, full of a brand new wonder and excitement. And in that moment, I'll be reminded once again that life just doesn't get much better than this.
Of course, no post would be complete without some highlights:
Fast forward twenty years later and I sometimes feel as if I'm having moments of deja vu. This small town in the middle of Illinois stirs so many of those memories that I had long forgotten about, and a piece of me feels as if I've rediscovered snippits of my childhood that had been buried away for awhile. As Josh and I stood on Main Street (in the freezing cold mind you)watching our little town's parade go by, I couldn't help but smile as my brain was flooded with fond childhood memories. The parade was short and sweet (which I was actually thankful for due to the fact that my toes were frozen), but the two of us stood there with wonder as we enjoyed a perfect holiday moment. As I stood there cozied up to my husband, I was overcome with how sweet life can be. Through all of the chaos and craziness, all of the nights of working late or being frustrated with mundane everyday activities, it's the moments of sheer happiness that remind you how good you've got it. And this Christmas, man we've got it good. And it's even sweeter to think that next year at the Christmas parade, we will stand and watch as our sweet baby Jake's face lights up when the floats pass by, full of a brand new wonder and excitement. And in that moment, I'll be reminded once again that life just doesn't get much better than this.
Of course, no post would be complete without some highlights:
SANTA!!!! I KNOW HIM!!!! I KNOW HIM!!!!
(Seriously, can anyone see Santa anymore without wanting to shout that out loud? Oh how I love Christmas movies!)
And wish us luck this week... we may see up to a foot of snow by Wednesday with a HI of 17 and a LO of 5! I may need a reminder as to how much I love this small town after that! BRRRR!
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