My Favorite Era

One of the things we got to talking about this morning at Cousins Day was what was the favorite period of our lives. Peach and Kathy could instantly pinpoint one part of their lives that they would always remember as the favorite part of their lives.

My mother was in the kitchen at the time, so not a part of the discussion, but as I sat there listening to Peach and Kathy each talk about the favorite part of their life, I knew I had to write a journal entry to explore "the favorite part of my life."

When I look back over my life and try to pick a "favorite part," I find that I can't. I have to pick several parts of my life as favorites, times I would happily go back and revisit.

My first "favorite part" of my life was high school. One of my cousins hated her high school years and didn't even want to think about them, but for me it was definitely the first "high point" of my life. I went to a Catholic grammar school where I was always in the top 5 in my class academically, but could never reach #1 no matter how I tried. So when we were choosing high schools and most of my female clasmates who always beat me academically went to Presentation High School, I deliberately chose the smaller St. Vincent School because I thought I would have a better chance of standing out. And stand out, I did.

Student Council (I was Secretary)
I retain a Christmas Card friendship with the two marked with Xs.

With the exception of sports, I was involved in everything, had several groups of friends, loved my teachers, and learned things about life and about myself that I still draw on today. I was also old enough that the school itself became an escape for me from my father and the atmosphere he created at home. I know my mother's feelings were hurt that I spent so much time at school, but it was never because of her, only because it was nice not to have to deal with my father while I was with the nuns.

I also loved being a mother. While some women had lofty goals that they set aside when they got married and started having children, my most lofty goal was being a mother. I loved being pregnant. I loved giving birth. I loved having babies. I loved having small children around. I loved working with the schools, being a Scout or 4-H leader, spending hours watching the kids dive or dance or act or play Little League or football (David actually played in a game of high school football once), or anything else that they did when they were living at home. Oh sure there were times when I was nutso, sleep deprived, overwhelmed by it all, but motherhood was definitely what I wanted to accomplish, and that I did.

A smaller section of those motherhood years were the years when Char and I lived close to each other and we did such crazy things together. It was a friendship that started in college and continues today, but those years when we lived a few blocks apart and had small children were the best. There has never been another friend with whom I have shared the same closeness--or the same craziness.

The Lamplighter years, though brief (1981-86) were very special, mostly because of my friendship with Gilbert and the sorts of things that we accomplished together, like starting a newsletter, which is still being published today, and writing several gala scripts.

My time at the Secretariat was special not for the work, but for the social aspect of it. I made wonderful friends there, who remain friends today, though we rarely see each other. Most particularly, my friendship with Melody, who now lives on the other side of the country, was very special and when she recently visited, we picked up right where we had left off, despite not really having spoken to each other in about 3 years.

And the period of my friendship with Peggy, which continues, would certainly have to be in the "high points" category. Peggy and I achieved a bond forged with a mutual love of animals and computers and photography and discovering that we got along so well. We will probably never see each other again, given the distance and expense, but the opportunity to get to know one another, to be able to share my country with her and to have her share her country with me, is certainly one of the "high points" in my life.

And finally, I have to choose the past two years as being definite high points. Cousins Day may only be a day and a half out of a month, but it is a high point whenever it comes around. I don't have a clue how much longer it's going to last. My mother is nearly 90, Kathy's COPD is only going to get worse, not better. I am a heart attack waiting to happen. Peach is pushing 70 harder than either Kathy or myself. But for right now we are all together and thoroughly enjoying our time together.

It's really nice when you can look back over your life and realize that you had not one, but several "special times" in your life.