A rocker that I cherish

Blame it on the winter doldrums. Blame it on me being a sentimental old woman. Or maybe it is a combination of occurences in my life recently. A certain individual has caused a great deal of anguish in my life in recent months. Possibly another cause for me to think of this dear old rocker. . . this afternoon, my son, Michael, came over. I had a problem with some vertical blinds. I asked him to come over and see if he could solve the problem. He came over for lunch. He found a "band-aid" solution for my old vertical blinds. Then he sat down for awhile and we talked. In the midst of our conversation - about nothing in particular - I couldn't help being awestruck that "my little boy" is a grown man of 36. As I was talking with him, my mind flashed back over the years. . . the little toddler standing at the kitchen door begging to go outside on a bitter cold, windblown day. . . the day his twin brother came in to inform me Michael had fallen on his bicycle, and "Mom, you better come quick". . . a high school basketball game when Michael scored two back-to-back 3 point baskets against Gates-Chili on their court. . . the time I had to let go and realize my boys were going away to college and they would no longer be in my day-to-day life. . . his wedding day.

Tonight a lot of things were flashing through my mind. . . good things. . . painful things. . . my trip down South to reunite with my cousins for a family reunion in a couple of weeks. . .my upcoming jury duty that I want no part of, but haven't figured out how to get out of. . . You know, sometimes things just fly through your mind. Molly decided she wasn't getting enough attention, so she jumped into my lap. . . Wonderful. A 50 lb. Labrador Retriever jumping into your lap!

I happened to glance around the room and "the rocker" caught my eye. It's crazy, but looking at that rocker brought me a sudden sense of peace. I just continued to look at it for several minutes or more. Two generations of Bennett babies were rocked to sleep in that rocker and now it sits in my living room. Molly, sensing she wasn't getting my full undivided attention, reached her head up and licked my face.

That rocker will always be a cherished possession. Over the last 36 years, from Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi to right here in Rochester, NY, I have rocked my sons and later my three grandchildren in that rocker when they were infants. Just staring at it and remembering happy times helped me to put a lot of things in perspective and realize there are always going to be antagonists in your life, but being able to focus on the good things in life is what life is all about. May each of you have a rocker in your life.