It sits on my desk as a constant reminder of who I am and what is really important in life. While it's only purpose is to hold things down and keep some of my loose papers organized, its' value is not measured by its' utilitarian effectiveness. Rather, the value of this particular item can only be measured by subjective analysis of what it actually means to me personally!
What is it? It's a paperweight! I know, this may be the first time ever that someone has written a feature article about a paperweight. But this paperweight is special.....at least it is to me! Taped carefully on the bottom on this clear glass half spherre is a photo of my family....my wife, my daughter, my two sons....and the big guy with the beard! It doesn't include my two daughter-in-laws or my son-in-law, or any of my six grandkds.....just the folks who grew up in the family that Chris and I formed when we got married.
The photo was taken on a day not too dissimilar to today....a cold, wet autumn day in November. It was taken in one of our favorite places, Autzen Stadium in Eugene, after an Oregon Duck victory in the Civil War. The 5 of us, all decked out in our green and yellow, conned someone into taking a picture of us mugging for the camera. It's become one of my favorite pictures of all time!
When I looked at my paperweight this morning, I was reminded once again that life is too short to get so stressed about things that ultimately don't matter. Our relationships with those we love are far more important that problems over passing issues, bills that need to be paid, minor aches & pains, and misguided folks who root for other teams like the Beavers or Huskies! The memories created by times like football games, Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas, birthday parties, grandpa dates, and silly emails should be cherished. Those little maniacs that grew up in my home are now grown adults with kids of their own. It's hard to believe how fast the time has gone.
When falls rolls around I'll leave the office a bit earlier than normal on a Friday afternoon to once again drive down I-5 and head to Eugene. There I will meet up with a posse of little ones anxious to spend a night with Grandma and Grandpa. Sometime that Saturday Chris and I will head to Autzen Stadium, as we have for the past 15 years, knowing that our daughter Marci will be sitting beside us, and our two boys will be just behind us one section over......all decked out in green and yellow. At halftime we'll all gather together outside of section 35 to eat our hotdogs and talk about the first half. Then we'll briefly connect after the game, hug them all, and head home with another family memory worthy of being on a paperweight of it's own.
I'd encourage you to make a few of those special memories of your own. And if you need some ideas for a paperweight, just let me know....even if you are a Beaver or a Husky fan!
Touched by the Memories,
Larry
Wow! What a great idea…….. It encourages us to make a few of those special memories of our own. It’s become one of my favorite pictures of all time! Really I like it. And everyone likes it. Thank you for sharing this blog.
Posted by: Mavi jeans | 12/26/2010 at 09:03 PM