Stay Forever Young

My brother Derek and I played basketball out front of our Grandparent's house in St. Maries Idaho on that Thanksgiving week long vacation there, with the house to ourselves we went on hikes into the slopping valley and trails to the Saint Joe river.

We had 2 baby brothers in our arms as we laughed so much over the familiar land of our own childhood memories, adulthood was just a year away for me with our Sister Dana working in Papa's shop on wood making projects, she would always say to me "I don't know why you are so afraid of turning 18, if it was me then I would be planning my freedom day!" Derek and I would look at each other in alarm glancing around as if our parents would burst in on us with their anger towards our very rebel sister.

We did so much together that week, Derek and I took our brothers to the swing set at Cherry Ben one afternoon I liked driving quiet open country mountain side roads. 

At bed time Derek had his usual bedding setup in the open closet of the newly designed basement of our Grandparents home. Ever since I can remember my brother always found his own private sleep space within the closets of hotel rooms or families homes. While my sister and I were always sharing everything in those days of growing up on each other's elbow.

It was those bedtime memories I still think about from 1997 to right now I remember my puppet socks for the giggles of the little boys, in the basement we were safely tucked away from our parents. 

So we were up super late without them really knowing because we went down to bed at the 9pm as we were commanded, from the closet where Derek would listen to me telling bedtime stories and breaking out into songs for I had a usual list of bed time songs for our baby brothers every night that I could help them settle down to sing with me, sometimes Derek would sing along.

It was my idea to pile up all our pillows and bedding in the hide a bed then get way back to run fully head on from the other room by the door to wide open messy bed. It would always bring out our laughter, as we flew! And it would always wear out the little ones for bed too!

Dana stated from her own corner of the basement "If you guys get to noisy Dad will be down to tell ya to be quiet....and someone could get hurt." I chuckled back at her suggesting "you should try it! there's no way you can get hurt it's all pillows!" I ran and slid into the mountain of bedding with my feet flying!

While my 3 brothers waited in line, I came back to them laughing so much that eventually Dana joined us for we were always coming up with fun games like that in everything we did together!

Then we usually would wind down to my singing and swaying with Daren and Dougie in my arms as the night grew late I truly loved the times we were there up northern Idaho and tucked away into the lovely cozy basement full of sleeping bags and pillows, snacks and sodas we all camped out down there just fine.

When I look back in time I smile, when I live on into the future I cry.

When I think about how we struggled while growing up I think that we were given a true friendship in each other whether we realized it at the time.....

When I think about 20 years ago on this week I can still hear us laughing! Derek requested the song "One Tin Soldier." as I closed my eyes to sing all I could remember as the sleepiness of the late night calmed us all down.

I knew in the soft glow of the lamp light that I was right where I was meant to be.....
For nothing stays the same very long and I already knew that all to well back then in my heart and mind, it's why I knew how important it was to remember it all, the joy and all the adventures we had together!