Music for memories

Kids are finally in bed, hopefully to remain and eventually drift off to sleep. Sitting in the dark, save the glow of the computer screen and a few flickers of candlelight, a glass of Merlot, and Brandi Carlile radio on Pandora....  These are the moments I look forward to every evening. The only way this gets sweeter would be to add another glass of (better) wine and some great conversation.... and maybe a breath mint or fifteen.

So random.

Ever hear a song that takes you back to a moment in time? A place? A person?

Ever smell something that reminds you of someone - even when you're somewhere far, far away?

Ever close your eyes and just cherish a memory?

Ever look up at the night sky and wonder who else is looking at that very same star?

Ever wish you could just step out of your life for a few moments and rewind to another time just to make it last a little longer?

I love my quiet evenings (when they are, in fact, quiet). I love listening to some chill music and reminiscing. Remembering a weekend at a mountain cabin, making breakfast at 4:00 in the morning and playing cards until midnight because there was no television, radio or telephone.  Remembering the smell of the air after a fresh rain.  Remembering the stillness in the early morning after a good snow.  Remembering the smell of my dad, the warmth and refuge of his hugs and the tickle of his beard on my face.  Remembering a sunset. Remembering a sunrise. Remembering a conversation that saw both. Remembering the yearning for another just like it.  Remembering a look, a smile. Remembering a comfortable silence. Remembering the excitement of a first embrace. Remembering the peacefulness of a familiar one.

Little nuggets of a life's journey.

So many wonderful snapshots that I hold close to my heart. Some are shared. Some are for me alone. Some are humorous. Some are painful. Some are both.

But they all are weaved into the tapestry of my mind and only a song, a smell, a memory-reach away.

I'm grateful for memories and for the experiences that create them.