Happiness & Memories

We went to Magic Kingdom over the holidays and it was truly magical. Besides the crowds, it was the happiest place on earth. I love seeing my kids eyes light up. They were amazed all day and they had the best time. When we got home, I immediately regretted my decision to enjoy the moment instead of trying to capture it! I didn't take many pictures.  I started wondering if Brodie would even remember this trip and my absent photos made me sad. I know Pay won't remember and I know it will be a vague memory to Brodie. This thought led me to think about my life and what I can remember as a child. I can't remember too much before the age of 5. Isn't that sad? I can vaguely remember moments  before then. I can remember the birth of my sister but not my brother. I can remember kindergarten.

I can remember Dustin's 1st birthday. I can remember a few vacations.

I can remember that my life was happy. 

Today, I listened to a message by Steven Furtick. He said "Happy people don't have the best of everything, they make the best of everything." 

It made me think about my mama. During my childhood my mom was a stay at home mother to four children. She sacrificed her life to raise us. She didn't have much. We didn't have a beautiful house or a fancy car. But we were happy. My mama was always happy. She made the best out of everything. We had everything we needed and mostly everything we wanted. I can't remember her ever being sad or stressed.

I'm sure there were plenty of times that she was these things. She hid them from us well. My childhood was happiness.

That's what I remember. I remember waking up and my mom was always there. I remember a clean house and good food at every meal. I remember riding my bike with my brother and laughing until we cried at Dustin. I remember when Amanda had her tonsils removed and I wouldn't leave her side. Happiness. I remember driving up to my grandma Holcombes house everyday. I remember wondering if my Mincey cousins were there yet. I remember parking by the side door and checking to see if the rooster was waiting to peck me.

I remember opening up that door to the smell of food and clean linens. I can remember the cold, quietness of the kitchen. I remember running through the foyer and glancing at all of my cousins framed faces hanging on the walls,

I remember running into the living room and turning right to that long(it would probably appear so short to me now) hallway that led to grandmas room. I can hear my feet hitting that floor like it was yesterday. I remember opening the door to the sound of southern gospel music and the smell of dove soap, jergens lotion, & VO5.

I can remember seeing my grandma moving around her room in her dress saying "hey, there!" I can remember sitting on the chest in front of her bed scanning her dresser for candy. Not too much later, her house would fill with little

Footsteps and we would play all day. Happiness. I can only remember happiness as a child. I can only pray that my children grow up to feel this way. I try my best to always be happy. I'm just like anyone else and life is tough. But creating a happy environment for my family is far more precious than anything else. I'm so thankful for a happy mama and a happy life. 

"Happy people don't have the best of everything, they make the best of everything." -Steven Furtick