Every now and then life is just trucking along with little thought to anything in the past. And then something happens and something from years ago is right there sitting on your shoulder with all the feelings and intricate details as if it were just yesterday.
Sometimes this is a good thing. Like when I am walking along and something triggers the smell of my grandmother's house. Or I bite into a slice of pie and memories of blueberry pie at Miles Drive Inn pops up.
Or that first cold snap early in the morning and the Washington Parish Fair comes to mind. These are sweet moments I have been told may be winks from heaven. Little reminders of something from the past nestled deep in the brain and triggered by one little thing.
And then every now and again the opposite happens. Something occurs that brings to mind an absolute nightmare, and you are suddenly back to that day with all the emotions along with "what was I thinking."
Cut To: 1997. The twins were in kindergarten, which put Jonathan in fourth grade and Joshua in the fifth. It had been a wonderful year. The boys were all growing, played little league sports, made new friends, and passed another year of school. And I, not having started teaching yet, was free during those seven hours each day. That is unless one child was home sick. This happened often with four sons. They tended to pass things around to the point it might take an entire month to work something through the household.
On this particular day in 1997 it was May. School was finally drawing to an end, and the boys were eager to kick off their summer of swimming, climbing trees, and playing baseball. Then of course as often was the case, that horrible stomach bug hit the house. Joshua brought it home, waking me up in the middle of the night because the middle of the night and the weekend is when children get sick. Jonathan was next, then me, then Clay and last but not least the twins.
It had been a pretty brutal one. We had all taken a few days to work it out of our system and by mid-May I felt pretty confident we had made it home free. And thank goodness because it was the end of the school year with all the awards ceremonies, the acknowledgements, and book bag cleanouts. It was also the upcoming kindergarten graduation ceremony.
Being a public school there was no big cap and gown ceremony. It was just an afternoon they would be ushered onto the bleachers to each get the chance to walk up to the stage and get their certificate. And following this would be first, second and third grade awards.
The gym was packed, and a bit warm. I started to realize it was actually hot. The air was not working. I noticed Jacob first looking a bit peaked. Then I saw in his eyes a bit of panic causing me to panic because I knew that look. And before I could utter a word, he turned his head and threw up on Caleb. Caleb then threw up on the little girl in front of him causing her to throw up on the boy next to her.
In only minutes everyone in the bleachers was throwing up as Mrs. Dirmann, a teacher, went running, her long 90's skirt flapping as she dragged a garbage can behind her. And then it occurred to me that perhaps they had not been completely over that bug.
The other day my son, Joshua, called saying he was missing work because the kids had had the stomach flu, and he felt it best to play it safe and give it one more day. And from 2025, 1997 was right there. The smells, the sounds, the muggy warmth. And I said, "That's a good idea." Good luck young moms! Live and learn.
