family – Page 6 – Thoughts From The Passenger Seat

2023, family

Spirits Watching Over Us

Posted on April 3, 2023April 30, 2026 by nancyb422

I’m always amazed at the way the spirits show themselves to me. Whether through a medium or expressing their presence directly to me.

717 is my special number because it’s the month and day our son was born. Whenever I see these numbers – especially on the oven clock! – I say “I see you my family!”, knowing that the spirits are with me.

Yesterday we were in the attic moving a heavy cedar chest away from the top of the stairs so the HVAC people could get up there and put their unit upstairs.

It’s bittersweet because we’re getting central air for our 2nd floor which gets incredibly HOT in the New England summers we have, but the money comes from the sale of my father-in-law’s home in California. He passed away in October and this was something we knew we needed in our home and in our son’s and daughter-in-law’s home.

After we moved the chest away, I saw a piece of paper on the floor where the chest had been. I picked it up, turned it over, and saw THIS and got chills. It’s my handwriting but that chest has been in that spot for about 5 years after the attic was cleaned out and insulation was put down on the floor!

There’s only one explanation – my father-in-law is acknowledging the 110+ temperatures we endured with him when we were there last August and he’s saying “I got you – you’re welcome”.

2023, family, friends, Writing

Falling Leaves and Chill In The Air

Posted on March 26, 2023March 26, 2023 by nancyb422

What is your favorite type of weather?

I love fall in New England because it brings about the weather that brings back memories.

It brings me memories of Columbus Day off from school where the weather started out chilly but it would warm up quickly. It was our first holiday off in the school year. Six of us would borrow as many bikes as needed and ride out across town to a dairy restaurant for ice cream. it was a thrill to get from the town to the farm area and feel the heat off the road and the wind in my hair.

It bring me memories of sunny Sunday afternoon Pop Warner football games when our town had enough pre-teens to field enough football teams to play against each other. Warm enough still for no jacket in the afternoon, but “you might want one just in case”. My dad would bring us, either on bikes or walking, to the park where they played and see them out of the classroom and in their “other lives”.

It brings me memories of blue sky so bright it hurts your eyes on a warmer than normal Saturday afternoon. If you pause, you can feel the chill lurking behind the warmth. Those days were spent on the sidelines cheering on my high school football game. Loudly encouraging the fans to cheer and the team to score. There was excitement and anticipation in the air as you looked for friends in the stands waiting for the teams to play.

It brings the memories of the nighttime chill with a drop of heat of the Indian Summer still lingering. I would think, “I just have to be outside”. I would put on my heaviest sweater and just walk, look at the stars and feeling so alive. Feel like I could do anything, that there were so my opportunities coming.

I love fall for it’s memories.

family

What We Keep

Posted on September 4, 2021September 4, 2021 by nancyb422

I found this somewhere sometime in late 1986 or early 1987. I was in my “calligraphy phase” and I spent hours writing out poems and my name.

The day my mother died in early April of 1987 it rained and poured and the wind howled and all I could thing was “how appropriate”. She so young, her daughters so young.

I pictured her setting the wind and rain in motion to tell us how sorry she was to leave.

I had my cousin Ann read this during the funeral mass. I’m sure no one else felt the significance except me but I felt like I was telling her that I understood.