Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A Parade of Memories

Remember the parades of old? Lots of fire engines, police cars, Model T's, with a few bands mixed in to balance it out. Those were the days. Maybe those were the days because life was much simpler then. No multiplex cinemas, malls, or other distractions to take away from the Rockwellesque living that some of us remember.

Well, I recall one of those parades from my youth. My mother had gathered my 2 younger brothers and me to head down to the parade route, right in front of my father's office. It was a perfect spot for viewing, and it was oh, so familiar because there was my Dad's office right behind us. Vendors were strolling up and down the steet, trying to sell their wares. When the "balloon man" walked by, my brothers and I couldn't restrain our enthusiasm. We just had to have a balloon. After much carrying on, my mother finally convinced us that she would get our special balloons when we got home. I am sure there was some other form of negotiation, but that part of the story escapes me now. The parade itself was terrific. Perhaps the best we'd seen; afterall, how many parades had we seen?

Naturally, when we got home the first thing that we wanted were our special balloons. We weren't going to let our mother negotiate with us and then welch on the deal. So, with her creative imagination, she manufactured the perfect balloons. Not the kind we saw at the parade. One of a kind balloons that were made especially for us. She had taken a long, bamboo, kabob stick and tied a balloon onto the end. No helium, no string, just good old fashioned ingenuity at work. Did my brothers and I know the diference? Heck no. We had what no other kid on the block had. We paraded around with them for hours, and never once felt like it wasn't just the greatest thing.

So, in the words of JFK, "The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans." As I see it, my mother has her "torch" and has made sure that hers will be passed on to a new generation. Her genuine love of life, love of family, and out of the box thinking has been passed on to us, a new generation of "balloon bearers"!

2 comments:

  1. Frugal, creative, negotiating without saying no, and caring - that's a great mom story! Can we do as well? Hats off to IM Schizz's Mom.

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  2. I think the simple things in childhood always make for the best memories. When I was little I would make a paper chain for every day in December leading up to Christmas. Every night I would take the chain down from my bedpost and race to my dad so that we could break a link together. The shorter the chain got the more exciting the ritual would become. It was simple and maybe a little bit silly but it is something I have always thought I would continue with kids of my own.

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