August, 2003
Have you ever noticed how life has an unusual way of coming full circle?? There was a time not long ago, when I believed that true happiness would elude me, and I had, in many ways resolved myself to that fact. Life does hold delights however, and I have found that happiness.
In my growing up there were certain instances when I recall my Papa saying, "There comes a time." It was Papa's quiet wisdom of the ages to be sure. This phrase used to bemuse me, and I oft wondered to what he referred. As I journey through life though, I realize that there are forks in the road, and ultimately decisions that we make. It is at such times that I think to myself now, "There comes a time." You were right all along Papa, and I wish you were here to see that there really does "come a time".
And thus, my journal and my journey now begin again
August is nearing its end, and another summer draws to a close. The days of late have been fitfully hot and humid, and I find myself longing for a cool breeze, and a reason to reach for a sweater. The sunflowers in full bloom and the tomatoes ripe and red tell me that my wishes aren't that far off.
Last Saturday was a perfectly golden day and one for our memory book. The four of us... Erik and I, and the girls loaded into the car and started out on a grand adventure. Saturdays in August are made for piling into the car, baggies full of treats, juice boxes and "itchy cream" for the mosquito bites!!
Traveling with 5 and 9 year old girls who insist that they know the secret of where they're going is to say the least, a trying event. There are times though when secrets are a sweet thing, and deep down I have to believe that they don't really want to know!! They just want to pester and make you believe that they are being tortured!! Hmm, did I do that?? Too long ago to recall... and we'll just leave it at that.
The road on Saturday last took us to Kent, Connecticut. Situated in Litchfield County in the northwest corner of Connecticut, Kent is a delight. A bookstore, antique shops, a seller of wines and a number of other small town attractions beckon you to enter, browse and enjoy.
Our first stop was the town library. As luck would have it, they were having a book sale that very day. Books to please every reader were lined neatly on tables on the front lawn. Someone truly put some effort into the organizing of these books, let me tell you. I am of course always on the lookout for anything written by Gladys Taber, but alas... 
nothing today. My guess is that if there was anything... it was long gone. A diligent search however did yield bounty (for me it was Maeve Binchy), and we each came away with books - newfound treasures along the way. Life continually yields us those "simple pleasures". After perusing the books, we stopped at the wine store, and found a bottle or two to bring home.
We did some window shopping... a hammock here, and wind chimes there. It's interesting to see how Kent has moved with the times, and yet maintained that small New England town feel. Knowing full well that many a town hasn't been able to "move along with the times", there is, I suppose a bittersweet twinge that I feel seeing that.
Stopping at a small bakery (in the heart of downtown) that specializes in wonderful sandwiches filled with good meats and pungent cheeses and sprouts and the like, we purchased lunch for a picnic. Ah, the joy of such a simple pleasure. Usually the drive to the picnic area is one that I want to last, but today with the aroma of lunch in the car we're all happy to stop and enjoy those sandwiches.
I settled in with a good book while Erik and the girls went exploring. As they were starting out, and walking off towards the waterfall, I was taken back to another time and I remembered walking with my own dear Papa as a little girl. There is a special relationship that fathers and daughters share. It is the one of the sweetest things on this earth. I caught myself smiling, and I couldn't decide if it was the moment or the memory. Perhaps it was both. In many ways, Erik reminds me of Papa. They share the same gentle spirit, the same kind heart. If Papa were here today, I know how very happy he would be that Erik and I are together. "See??" he would say, "There always comes a time."
Love, Shelley
The Simple Pleasures
Sunflowers and ripe tomatoes
Secrets
Good books
Little girls who can almost do somersaults!!
A fine bottle of wine, shared
Small bakeries
Picnics in August
Wind chimes in the breeze
Fathers and daughters, and the love they always share
