Heading Home

The house is quiet; silence reigns.

I listen. I hear...

...in the distance, birds serenading and a lawn mower whirring its seasonal buzz.

I listen more closely. I hear...

...a light bulb and my computer humming in unison.

...the refrigerator joining in the harmony.

...the fan on the furnace making it a quartet.

...and the tinnitus in my right ear? Well, the usual droning makes it a quintet.

Quiet? Silence? As close as it gets.

Again, I listen. A wave of nostalgia overwhelms me as I hear...

...the sound of two teenage brothers arguing over who knows what.

...groanings from sucker punches.

...laughing and sounds of slapping on backs.

...the “Hullo” of smiling son #2 as he blasts through the back door.

...the heartwarming sound of sweet giggles from a young girl playing games.

Where are these sounds coming from? This is an empty nest.

Those teenage boys are now 43 and 39. That young girl is now 36.

Those sounds come from reminiscent echoes within the walls, the cherished sounds from days long passed.

My heart fills with the overwhelming joy of precious memories.

I listen again. This time, I hear...

...sadness, the sobs and weepings of heartaches from hard times gone by, of broken friendships, of mournful news, of jobs lost, of lack of necessities.

Afraid to but I listen once more. I hear...

...my heart say...You didn’t do it right! You failed so many times!

But the precious sounds of children echoing from the kitchen to the family room, down the hall to the bedrooms, and down the stairs to the basement, and I know I did some things right.

With bittersweet memories echoing in the halls of my heart, I choose to listen to the laughter and the giggles, the good sounds of the past. Maybe, just maybe, I did some things right.

And now, new memory sounds of future wall-echoes come as two little and one not-so-little grandgirls run memories up and down the hallway.

What memories will I hear years from now? What happenings will bring laughter? What happenings will bring tears?

Will those left behind hear the memories?

Did you ever hear a memory?

                                                                        

*I'm hooking up with the monthly ChristianWriters.com blog chain on the topic of memory. Check out the other participants in the right sidebar.

Also hooking up with...