The Long Road

Note:  This is another Days of Grey writing exercise.


Today's prompt comes to us from rxmflickr on Flickr by way of a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons License. If you repost or reshare this image, keep the attribution info intact. http://www.flickr.com/photos/rxmflickr/6263039146/

We've been down this road before, you and me.  We walked through the tunnel of courtship.  Love shone through the branches and kept the naysayers away from us -- those who said we'd never make it.  It seemed like we would walk forever, but we reached the end of the tunnel and began our life as one.

Remember how dark the tunnel was the next time we walked this road?  Our first born was lying on a table in the nursery intensive care unit.  It seemed so far to walk before we reached the light. We caught only glimpses now and then of faint light in the tunnel which caused creepy shadows that gave me goosebumps.  Then we reached the sun which seemed more bright than we had remembered.

Many more times we walked down the road.  Sometimes we would barely reach the warmth of the sun and we would be hurled back through the shadows.  The roar of the animals around us were often deafening to the ears.  Make it stop!  Just make it stop! Then in that moment that we thought we couldn't stand it any longer, we would find the least little glimmer of hope, and then finally the bright sunlight.

The path seems different today.  The walk is much more pleasant. The tunnel is bright, and the birds are singing to us.  As you hold my hand, I realize there is nothing we have to fear as long as we walk together.  We've walked to hell and back several times. Maybe we're finally on the road to heaven.

LaurieBee's Family Hive is found on Brand Yourself here:  
http://lauriebeesfamilyhive.brandyourself.com/

Stained Glass Curtains

My Stained Glass Curtains

I was about six years old when my parents bought a new house.  At first, they couldn't afford to buy curtains for the sliding glass door in the family room, so Mom retrieved her collection of fabric scraps.  Mom made patchwork curtains for the sliding glass door.  They were supposed to be a very temporary solution, so she didn't even line them.  When the sun came through those curtains, it was magic!  The whole room lit up!  It was like a beautiful stained glass window.  We all loved them so much, that Mom left them there until they completely rotted away before replacing them.

I always said that someday, I would have "stained glass curtains" in my house.  We built the addition to our home the winter of 1986 - 1987, I believe.  For the first time, we had a sliding glass door.  I didn't have a collection of sewing scraps because I'm not the sewing wizard that my mother was, but I bought some fabric to make curtains.  I wanted all the colors of the rainbow.  I wanted them to last a long time, so I bought white muslin and lined them.  I thought they were beautiful, and I was very proud of them.  I loved being in that room!

As my children became older, however, they referred to my work of art as "gay" curtains.  It's was very odd to me that "all the colors of the rainbow" meant something completely different to my children.  About a year ago, I finally had to replace those old curtains.  It was a sad day for me.  The curtains I made this time around are from one fabric.  It was a much more expensive fabric than my original curtains.  I lined them with better fabric, as well.  I like them.  They go with my family room. quite nicely -- but nothing could ever replace my stained glass curtains!

Kids, laugh all you want -- but sunshine coming through the colors of the rainbow still make me happy.  Mom, thanks for teaching me that beauty is seen in many ways -- and it doesn't have to be expensive.  I miss you.