The Golden Light

My husband and I took our boys to Sharon Woods Park today. It was a gorgeous morning so we decided to go a little further than we usually do and make the drive to Sharonville from Cincinnati. It's only a twenty-five minute drive, but it feels like a different world. I grew up in that neighborhood and it was almost like going back in time. I have very fond memories of this park because my mom and dad used to take my sister and I there. The lake is the same. The trails are the same. You can still feed the ducks and rent peddle boats or row boats. Everything else is completely different now. The old wooden playgrounds are no more. They used to have this amazing ship that you could climb. I'm sure they got rid of the old stuff years ago, but I haven't been there in a very long time. They have amazing playgrounds and picnic areas now. The shelters are gorgeous and there's a full-service snack bar.

However, as much as things have changed, I still felt pretty nostalgic as I watched my son walk on the same paths that I walked as a child. As he played with his brother, I remembered playing with my little sister. I remembered the day that she was afraid the geese would eat her little blue shoes. I remember going on the fitness trails and doing all the exercises with both of my parents. I remember thinking that it was hysterical to see my parents doing jumping jacks and being impressed with my dad being able to do chin-ups when I couldn't do even one. We had so much fun. Our childhood was really lovely. When I think about being a kid, the memories have a golden light around them. We always talk about 'the golden light'. As soon as I said that phrase to my parents, they knew exactly what I meant. We loved our little family of four. We enjoyed each other. We made so many good memories together.

It is my hope that, when my boys are grown with families of their own, they can look back on their childhoods and see the golden light. I think they will. I could see it today.