Remembering what you could do in the past, that is being old.

I remember when I could run 4 or 5 miles. I remember when the 70lb pack did not seem too heavy. Shucks, I even remember when I had hair.

A startling thing hit me in Dawson Creek, on the way to  Alaska. It was daylight around the clock. I told Sherry if I lived here I would work myself to death. That is because I remember when I worked from sun up to sundown.

I remember when washing and cleaning the car was not a task, because I was picking up Sherry. (Now she sorta hints it is time to clean the car!)

Sherry was the only girl I ‘went with’ after I got my license. It wasn’t long until we were going steady, so I remember a lot of great times in that 1948 Chevy convertible.

Yeah, we are old now, in our 70’s. We both remember fondly running the beach at Surf City, NC. Funny remembering back, we spent a lot of time alone on that beach. It was deserted. No houses along the shore, just huge dunes to climb and over look the ocean.

We remember the time Sherry almost drowned at that beach. Not a fond memory.

Then on our first anniversary I was ashore at Saros Bay Turkey and Sherry was in Belmont, NC. I remember looking across the beautiful Mediterranean, knowing after Gibraltar, there was the Atlantic. The ocean that separated us. Even then I remembered the fun we had on the other side. She was young and beautiful, the girl of my dreams. I remembering crying that night on our anniversary (some things still bring a tear to remember.)

(Always the same beautiful smile)

Sure I remember when she had long hair, wore it in a pony tail, a beautiful Southern Belle. BUT hey, she is still beautiful just a little older, and we will not be separated by that ocean ever again. I remember thinking, God; please don’t let this happen again.

We were separated several times in our marriage, we both knew those times would come, they did not get easier, but that was military life, and that has passed.

All this comes back to me as we are here near Moody AFB. I see these young troops knowing they will be spending time in Iraq or Afghanistan soon or have just came back, I feel for them.  The sympathy is not just for the danger, all military troops know that is always a possibility, but I think of the loneliness once one has time to lie down to sleep, then the thoughts start flooding in.

Let’s remember the troops who are in harms way away from that beautiful lady or the Female troops who are away from that guy.

Nite Shipslog

PS:

. Never miss a good chance to shut up.

Did I show this Volkswagen? One seat, sorta like an enclosed motorcycle.