Memories

Apparently I've reached the age of reflection (82) because it seems that lately I'm frequently and unexpectedly confronted with ordinary things that bring back strong memories.  
This afternoon I was on my way home from the dentist when I passed this lane which is one of my favorite places.  There are four houses tucked back in the trees and we lived in one of them back in 1999.  It was my favorite house of all those I've lived in over the years despite the fact that it was the last house my husband and I lived in together before he died.  I have wonderful memories of us walking down this lane with our dog Sweet Pea in the evenings.  It was a simple activity but a special one.  My husband was rapidly deteriorating from Alzheimer's and simple things became all important since he was no longer able to do anything complex.  When he died early in 2004 I moved out but have never forgotten how special those simple walks were.  
It never fails to amaze me that the memories that have become the most important to me are ones that are of things that seemed insignificant at the time -- a simple walk, sitting between rows of strawberry plants picking the best ones to take home, playing with our dogs, weeding the flower beds in the evening usually with a cat rolling around in the dirt while we tried to pull the weeds, picking out flowers from the nursery to take home for our garden.  
 My words to the wise are pay attention to the little moments in your life that make you happy.  You will treasure them someday.