... As The Plot Unfolds ... The Characters Remain ...

I had a special moment last night ...

We were on the way back from picking up our van in Hendersonville ...

let me start from the beginning ...

Or van has been making weird noises ... riding funny ... the whole nine yards ... felt like you were riding on a log wagon ... anyhoo ... time to get it checked out ... thinking the whole time it was the tires ... hmmm ...

got a call yesterday that it wasn't. it was a loose wheel bearing and that the wheel could give way at any given moment ... WHAT?!!! ok ... that's safe ... so ... after hearing that ... we heard ... $693 to fix it!

yikes! WHAT??!?!?! going on Spring Break vacation in 2 weeks ... and we have to pay WHAT?!!? Ok ... so we won't be eating on our trip!

Not good.

Nate happened to think ... hmmm ... let me call the Nissan dealership where we bought it ...

Honolulu ... it's under warranty!!!

WOO-HOO!!! We get to eat on our vacation!

Anyhoo ... long story ... to say ... we had to go pick up the van in Hendersonville and bring it back home so we could have it to the Nissan dealership by 9am this morning ...

So ... Nana decided to go with us last night so I wouldn't have to drive back by myself ...

thus the reason we're in the car driving back and I had a moment ...

Nana and LeAnna were in the back seat and LeAnna was getting very sleepy ... it was close to 8pm and this is her normal bed time ...

LeAnna said, "Nana, will you tell me a story?" ...

here's where my moment started ...

I've heard Nana tell stories to LeAnna before ... but only last night in particular did something register with me ...

it's dark ... it's quiet ... I'm driving and thinking ... and in the quiet of everything ... I hear Nana's calm, sweet voice begin with "Once upon a time ..."

... as I'm listening ... at first, not really hearing just listening ... but then I start thinking ... and it takes me back ... WAY back ...

I remember as a little girl ... all the stories my mom told me ... I would always ask (just as LeAnna does) ... "Mommy, will you tell me a story?" ... always followed with , "sure ... ok, you ready? Once upon a time ..."

Not that I remember any of the stories in detail ... however there was a pattern to her stories ... that I do remember ... and mostly that calm, sweet, reassuring voice ...that I heard in every story that made me feel loved, secure, safe, and happy in the moment ... and then I would drift off to sleep and dream about it.

I got to thinking ... My mom's stories have become famous through the years ... the only thing changing in them were the characters ... Mom would create a set of characters just for me for my stories ... then 22 years ago she took a job caring for a family that she is still with ... helping to raise their two children ... they got the privilege of hearing MANY stories just like I did ... only they had their own set of special characters ... then along came LeAnna and as long as LeAnna can remember she has been told stories by Nana ... again, with her very own set of characters that followed a story line.

Amazing ... Mom's stories could be famous if put into book form ...

how special ... that all four of us had stories told to us ... probably all about the same but with different characters ... and every night we would get a new story but with our own characters placed just so-so within it.

I remember asking Mom to tell me about my characters ... who were "Jeff and Gretta" ... I remember Margaret and Marshall asking Nana all the time to tell them stories about "Billy, James, and Tommy" ... and now I hear LeAnna asking Nana to tell her stories about her characters ...

I remember being so excited to know what "Jeff and Gretta" would do next! Same with Margaret and Marshall ... they could hardly wait to see what their characters would do next! Mom would name the characters after peoples kids she knew ... so what amazement and excitement to see those kids in real life every once in a while ... I know for me, my characters lived far away (they were kids whose parents were friends of my parents) ... so when I did see them ... I remember looking at them differently and thinking, "I know all about you ... " ... ha! And Mom told me that one day she introduced Margaret and Marshall to their "live" characters ... she said she will never forget the wide eyed look of amazement on their faces, especially Marshall ... he couldn't believe they were real!

Wow! Amazing for a kid ... and Amazing for a Mom/Nana to think of this and follow through for over 30 years now with 4 different children ...

Very cool ... and a very cool moment for me ... last night ... while I was driving and was taken back in time for just a few minutes while I listened intently to what she was calmly and sweetly saying as LeAnna drifted off to sleep.

Just a small thread of memory, woven neatly into my family and history that is so special and very nice for "recall".

happy day ... tammy