Making Memories
Paul O'Rear -- Friday, June 8, 2007, 7:48 AM (No Comments)Categories: Childhood, Memories
Tags: Bears, Charley the Squirrel, Churches of Christ, Dirty T-Shirts, Frio River, Great Smoky Mountains, Leakey Texas, Pecan Grove Campground, River Bend Campground, Texas Hill Country
One of my favorite memories of our camping adventures is the “O’Rear Family Singing Hour”. Before heading for the hills, Dad always borrowed several church hymnals and packed them away as essential camping gear, right along with the Coleman stove and lanterns. On many evenings, after we had roasted marshmallows and gorged ourselves on S’mores, Dad would whip out the song books and pass them around, and the singing hour would commence. Quite often, neighboring campers would wander over to sit and listen, and sometimes would join right in. “Amazing Grace”, “The Old Rugged Cross”, and “Farther Along” somehow sound just a little bit sweeter when sung around a campfire late at night, with a Texas Hill Country full moon peeking through the trees.
On Sundays and Wednesdays we would worship with the Leakey Church of Christ, a small congregation filled with warm, caring country folks. They would always have a special Wednesday night singing service when we were in town, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Quite often, we would be invited to someone’s house for dinner or just to visit. We developed close friendships with many of the people from the Leakey church. Some of those friendships have lasted for years and years.
I could probably go on for hours on end, recounting the wonderful memories of those summer trips: Fishing for baby perch with tiny hooks, using broken-off little pieces of worm for bait. Going crawdad hunting in the river late at night with waterproof flashlights. Seining for minnows in the rapids. Jumping off of the “big rock” into the beautiful blue water of the Frio. Hiking all over the campground in search of adventure. Riding our bikes up to the Happy Hollow grocery store to buy fishing worms. Playing volleyball with the other campers. Charley the Squirrel who would eat out of our hands. The Big Flood. Baby brother Clint coming roaring down the hill on his Big Wheel, wearing nothing but a diaper. Oh, the memories!
And that brings me back to my original thought. “In the race to be better or best, don’t miss the joy of being.” We live in a world of instant coffee, microwave ovens, self-serve gas stations with pay-at-the-pump convenience, drive-through car washes, and 50- to 60-hour work weeks. Our lives are characterized by instant gratification and fast-paced living. There doesn’t ever seem to be any time to “stop and smell the roses”. Roses, however, were intended to be smelled.
And so here is my challenge. Take time to enjoy life. Parents, make the time and expend the energy to help make memories for your kids. There will always be a million and one other things that need your time and attention. But I would suggest to you that nothing needs your time and attention more than your kids do. Take your kids camping. Go to the zoo. Spend a Saturday in the park. Visit important historic sites. It doesn’t really matter what you do. Just do something to make memories with, and for, your kids.
My brothers and I are all grown up now. Our childhood years are gone forever. We can never recapture those years, but we can re-live them. You see, my Mom and Dad understood the importance of taking the time for family. And that is why we went camping every summer. If they had kept putting it off until there was more time, it would have never happened. And now it would be too late. Thankfully, I have lots of wonderful memories from my “growing up” days, because they didn’t put it off. Those memories are precious gifts that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
No related posts.