We went to Silver Dollar City today. It's always been one of my favorite places. When I was a kid it was a real city in my mind. It was about the frontier and celebrating country and pioneer life. Now it's more of an amusement park, but I still love it.
One reason I still enjoy it is that it is one of the few public places you can go that is unapologetically Christian in its choices for entertainment. We really enjoyed the GAC Show this evening - especially the gospel music and hymns that were performed. But that's beside the point of this post.
We've visited SDC every year since we've been married, except for the two years that we were working on the east coast. Every time we went it seemed that our trip was complicated and difficult because we were always trying to coordinate with one family member or another. A few times we went with my parents, siblings, and nieces or extended family of aunts and cousins. Other times we had teen aged daughters, married sons with small children and infants and even a few church friends thrown into the mixed. There was even one year that mom was having trouble with her knees and Ken pushed her in a wheelchair all over the park. To say that he was tired after was an understatement.!
It seemed that we were always dealing with wheelchairs or strollers, back packs and diaper bags, kids that wanted to pack a lunch and kids that wanted to eat in a restuarant. Kids who could pay their own way and kids who needed us to pay their way. Children who were impatient and parents who were slow. We would always say afterwards, "One of these days we're going to Silver Dollar City all by ourselves - just the two of us!"
Then circumstances changed and we found ourselves far, far away from these Ozark Hills. For two years we were away from home and from all the people we loved. Parents grew older, kids grew up, two moved away, and life changed. Possibly the biggest change is that we lost mom. She passed away a year and nine months ago. The hole she left is enormous. But there are other changes as well. The kids we used to have to pay for, are now doing well and can manage things on their own. The infants that we pushed around are all growing up way too fast. The nieces are teenagers now and have such busy lives that we can't schedule much time with them. And there are now daughters and children on each coast that can't make the trip just to spend time with us at an amusement park.
Today was lonely. We got to go to Silver Dollar City all by ourselves - just the two of us. And let me tell you I'd trade every minute of it for one more chance to push mom's wheelchair all over that park! I hope we get the chance to introduce the East Coast granddaughter to all the fun we enjoyed as kids. And I'd take any of the kids, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, or grandkids we could get our hands on with us the next time.
If the last few years have taught me anything, it's that life is too short. Kids grow up too fast. Parents age too quickly. And getting to "do your own thing" isn't all that it's cracked up to be!
So let's try to schedule a trip together soon. I'll carry anything you want me to without complaining. I promise.
Missed you today, Mom.
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