Tuesday, May 27, 2014

It goes so fast. YOLO.

This is my Matthew . Circa 1986. This picture slays me.
Matthew. 1986.




The Days Gone By

by James Whitcomb Riley

O the days gone by! O the days gone by!
The apples in the orchard, and the pathway through the rye;
The chirrup of the robin, and the whistle of the quail
As he piped across the meadows sweet as any nightingale;
When the bloom was on the clover, and the blue was in the sky,
And my happy heart brimmed over in the days gone by.

In the days gone by, when my naked feet were tripped
By the honey-suckle’s tangles where the water-lilies dipped,
And the ripples of the river lipped the moss along the brink
Where the placid-eyed and lazy-footed cattle came to drink,
And the tilting snipe stood fearless of the truant’s wayward cry
And the splashing of the swimmer, in the days gone by.

O the days gone by! O the days gone by!
The music of the laughing lip, the luster of the eye;
The childish faith in fairies, and Aladdin’s magic ring—
The simple, soul-reposing, glad belief in everything,—
When life was like a story, holding neither sob nor sigh,
In the golden olden glory of the days gone by.



******

“Let's really look at one another!...It goes so fast. We don't have time to look at one another. I didn't realize. So all that was going on and we never noticed... Wait! One more look. Good-bye , Good-bye world. Good-bye, Grover's Corners....Mama and Papa. Good-bye to clocks ticking....and Mama's sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new ironed dresses and hot baths....and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth,you are too wonderful for anybody to realize you. Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every,every minute? (Emily)” 
~Thornton Wilder
Our Town


***


YOLO,
Donna


15 comments:

  1. I think of the line ... "THESE are the good old days ..."

    Ironically, I have more time and presence of mind to soak in each day *now*


    But the days spent with young ones (that I count as precious, as I see them in the rear view mirror of my heart and mind) I barely had time to go to the bathroom, much less be especially mindful or appreciative.

    Thanks for these words, these lines.

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  2. We went to a movie yesterday and the first commercial we saw on the big screen featured kids growing up through high school and on to graduation and college. Just what I needed to see 10 days before my first born graduates from high school. I will get through it and everything will be fine, but I'm still in shock it's time for this already. I worry if I prepared her enough and how I'm going to handle not seeing her every day. 1 Peter 5:7-living out this verse as best I can.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:11 AM

      Melene, my youngest just graduated from high school and the shock and worry you describe could easily be mine. So happy for her, so sad for us that this lovely, full of life child will soon be off to college. My heart overflows with love for her -- and breaks for her dad and me. God bless you and your firstborn. Good luck and enjoy every minute of the festivities!

      Mary Z

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    2. I wish I could hug you both.

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  3. That Our Town quote takes on new meaning in our tech savvy world. Can we look away from the computer, phone, device and look at the people and world around us? I try to drink it in now, but I know when I was younger it was a different story. At least that's one thing for which to be grateful for as I age. That and the grandchildren. ;)

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  4. Anonymous9:51 AM

    Oh Donna! I have been feeling this way for a long time. Especially since last week, Danny told me I can't call him "baby boy" anymore. I have to call him "Big Boy" :( But, for years and years I had a saying on my fridge. It turned yellow and crumbled, so I lost it. But, it was the words to Malvina Reynolds song "turn around" "where are you going, my baby, my own? Turn around and you're 2, Turn around and you're 4, Turn around and you are a young woman (man) walking out my front door"
    Kris Irving Schwarz

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  5. Anonymous10:14 AM

    I love this post. The "Our Town" quote just about sends me into a crying mess. In a good way.

    Love,
    Sarah P. from Iowa

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  6. Katie Boucher1:03 PM

    Such an adorable photo😋

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  7. Anonymous2:30 PM

    Thanks for the poem and thoughts.
    mrsd

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  8. Anonymous4:37 PM

    Such a cute little fella and doesn't he look like he is having fun!
    He makes me smile! I so enjoyed the poem and quote, too.
    So true, You Only Live Once and really noticing, really seeing what is around us is important.
    love and prayers, jep

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  9. Anonymous8:36 PM

    Thank you Donna for the Our Town prose, you so often make me think.... and reflect....

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  10. Anonymous10:26 PM

    Thank you, Donna, for the James Whitcomb Riley poem. My grandma had a book of his collected poems and read them to me when I was a child. Favorites were The Raggedy Man and Out to Old Aunt Mary's. Like Susan and Southern Gal, I think I try to savor each day more now than I did when I was young. One perk to getting older- you take nothing for granted and every moment with loved ones is dear. How hard for every mother's heart to have children get older, move out, and move on. So necessary and yet so bittersweet. What a lovely and thought-provoking post.

    Debbie Z.

    P.S. Matthew was an adorable toddler.

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  11. Anonymous7:13 AM

    These passages made me cry, yet I am grateful you shared them. Reading them and looking at baby Matthew -- YOLO is right. xoxo

    Mary Z

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  12. My grandmother adored James Whitcomb Riley. Just reading that piece brought back the memory of her voice. She has been gone for 25 years. Miss her. But thanks, MizBoo. Loved this post.

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