It’s not about what really happens actually, it’s more about an ideal and the way it makes you feel when you watch the movies or hear the music. With me it’s the memories of trips every other year to California to see relatives and experience the sights and delicious aromas from the kitchens in the homes of loved ones. The years we didn’t travel there we were at my maternal grandparents house with all of my mother’s siblings and the memory of little Mama in her housedress along with my mother, her hair in little pin curls that she formed by using a toothbrush, cooking from early morning so that food would be ready for lunch at noon. While they were preparing the dinner my mother’s sisters were off in their bedrooms preening and not bothering to help in the kitchen, privilege of being the younger sisters I guess.
Children are so impressionable, they remember the smallest of details so be careful how you treat them and guard the words you use to describe them, they won’t forget.
It’s coming like a freight train and there’s nothing we can do to stop it so start making your plans now and go ahead and watch all the Christmas Holiday movies you can and don’t complain about Christmas carols being played too soon or decorations going up in the local mall too fast. Remember, the day Christmas is over they pull all the Christmas decorations and put up Valentines so enjoy it while it lasts.
Your resident sloppy sentimentalist, h
Harolene.com 
To me it’s strange, but…
I sense a kindred spirit and an alien spirit at the same time with you. Mostly kindred, but I remember that you have Romanian roots and while that is perfectly fine, it is very foreign and unfamiliar to me. Of course there is a lot more to you than that, and even that is not an isolating thing. But when you talk about your father and mother and old times, the cadences, the feelings, the rhymes and rhythms all FEEL so very familiar. They make me think of my mother’s family. And I figure that if your family and my family had been neighbors, the rest of the neighborhood would get these households confused.
I am sure the details are all different, but the rhythms sure seem similar. There is a groove there that I know… despite the cultural differences. A very gentle old school way. An affinity for Norman Rockwell life, probably. I bet your family used to watch Lawrence Welk and as soon as that was over, you would laugh at Carol Burnett. I bet your folks would listen to The Rest of the Story with Paul Harvey.
Of course my family had older traditions than these, but these are about as far back as I personally recall.
Anyway… just keep on being nostalgic. It makes me feel close to you even though I don’t know you and even though I imagine that if we did REALLY meet, we would find far more differences. But in the meantime, I have a sense of family and memories here…
Thanx…
X
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“I am sure the details are all different, but the rhythms sure seem similar. There is a groove there that I know… despite the cultural differences. A very gentle old school way. An affinity for Norman Rockwell life, probably. I bet your family used to watch Lawrence Welk and as soon as that was over, you would laugh at Carol Burnett. I bet your folks would listen to The Rest of the Story with Paul Harvey.” All true, all very true, you hit the nail on the head. Our cultures would probably not be that different. My dad’s parent were immigrants from Armenia but as my dad grew up in the early 20’s (he was born in 1918) it wasn’t a time when people were proud of their ethnicity as we are today so our home was like any other southern home since my mother was south Georgia born and bred. When I was in grammar school in the mountainous little town in Tennessee some of the children at school made fun of me and said my daddy was (I will leave out the names they said). These children and their parents were part of the congregation at my dad’s church and even this I was 7 years old when it started I never and not until the day he died did I ever tell him or my mother some of the things that happened to me because my skin had a natural tan and my hair was very black, the Armenian gene as my mother’s family background was English, Wales, German and she was a blue eyed blonde. Kids at school would tell me she wasn’t my real mother and so on and so on, you get the picture.
Just wanted to share that with you so you would know me, the inside of me a little better. Thank you for your comments, they do mean so much to me. 🙂 h
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Armenia… Sorry… That is so… so… typical American! of me… Ha! Thanx for your charity with my insensitivity.
Yes. That is a part of life I did not experience. But even there… it’s surprising how similar…
Both my parents had very dark hair. Not quite jet black, but close – esp in the winter. Mom had blue eyes, slender.. pretty… soft spoken… daughter of a minister. Actually, Pappaw was an electrician by trade most of his life. But when my mom, the baby, left home, he went to seminary.
Mom, Dad, my baby sister and I all had thick black curly hair. We are NOT bald people. I did a fair bit of my growing up in Texas and would go swimming EVERY day all summer for a minimum of 2 hours. The tan wasn’t natural, but only me and the shower mirror knew it. I passed for Hispanic a few times in my life. Didn’t suffer any racism over it, but I had Hispanic people on about 4 different occasions in my life inquire…
As for Georgia… I have never been there, but according to my Dad’s genealogy research (other side of my family, but plenty black hair still), my kin came from England as indentured servants and settled in Georgia. Over time we escaped our poverty and eventually owned land and people. Its my understanding that there are a handful of graveyards in Georgia with my family name peppered around. During the Civil War one of the brothers headed west into Louisiana and Texas. Then the family bifurcated – two main branches. I have met some of my distant kin here in Lubbock. We have to trace our line back 5 or 6 (depending on your age) generations to get the connection. None of us alive today knew the brothers that came into Texas, but we have established our connection here now.
Anyway, it goes back to Georgia for me too.
Interesting…
And cool…
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Very cool indeed. I have joined both Ancestry.com and 23 and me. It’s very interesting to see your roots on paper!! Have a good night and sweet dreams 😇🙏🏼
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