3 of 30

[thomryng]

Feast of the Guardian Angels

Day three of the continuing meme. I'm taking a break from cleaning up the garage. Now that it's almost three in the afternoon, I might grab some lunch, too.

As we go forward in this project, I will be friends-locking some of these posts, particularly those that probably shouldn't be in the public domain.

Day 01 - Introduce yourself
Day 02 - Your first love, in great detail

Day 03 - Your parents, in great detail

Not great detail. More like impressionism.

My mother reminded me in a reply to the previous post that she taught me to read. I really don't remember that, but that's not too surprising as I was very young at the time. That means she gave me three of the greatest gifts any man has: life, love, and literacy.

Hard to top that.

My mother has a master's degree in economics from the University of Chicago and now works in a school with developmentally disabled students. Much of her life while I was growing up was work and school, an ethic I was slow to learn. I remember Christmas cookies and the smell of red wine simmering with cloves and orange. To this day, those smells always remind me of my Mom.

My step-father is a pipe-fitter. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve perusing my Dad's National Geographic Atlas of the World while listening to him practice his piano in the background. He taught me to play chess when I was about six or so. I beat him for the first time when I was 17. He handed me my first D&D set.

None of that really tells you anything, does it?

I remember museums and the zoo. Seeing The Nutcracker every year. Family vacations that always seemed to include endless hours in the old Volvo station wagon. Family dinners at our kitchen table almost every night. The Very Serious discussion I had with my Mom about staying up to watch Doctor Who, which started at 11:00 PM on a school night.

I remember the feeling of being safe, comforted, warm, loved.

Lest I over-romanticize, I also remember what seemed at the time to be a ridiculous amount of household chores on sunny days, including painting fences, digging weeds in the garden, picking up a tree-full of disgusting, rotting pears that fell in our yard on what seemed like a daily basis. Mowing the lawn with a push-mower. Shoveling snow by hand. I remember my Dad beating me for lying to him. All part of growing up, I reckon.

I love my parents. Seems obvious, I know, but it's the one truth that's bundled up inside all these impressions and memories.



Day 04 - What you ate today, in great detail
Day 05 - Your definition of love, in great detail
Day 06 – Your day, in great detail
Day 07 – Your best friend, in great detail
Day 08 – A moment, in great detail
Day 09 – Your beliefs, in great detail
Day 10 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 11 – Your siblings, in great detail
Day 12 – What’s in your bag, in great detail
Day 13 – This week, in great detail
Day 14 – What you wore today, in great detail
Day 15 – Your dreams, in great detail
Day 16 – Your first kiss, in great detail
Day 17 – Your favorite memory, in great detail
Day 18 – Your favorite birthday, in great detail
Day 19 – Something you regret, in great detail
Day 20 – This month, in great detail
Day 21 – Another moment, in great detail
Day 22 – Something that upsets you, in great detail
Day 23 – Something that makes you feel better, in great detail
Day 24 – Something that makes you cry, in great detail
Day 25 – A first, in great detail
Day 26 – Your fears, in great detail
Day 27 – Your favorite place, in great detail
Day 28 – Something that you miss, in great detail
Day 29 – Your aspirations, in great detail
Day 30 – One last moment, in great detail