Digging Diamonds Form the Muck

Digging Diamonds Form the Muck
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Derdlecar

There are so many bad memories that we have to deal with. Everyday we find new ones; it never ends. But every once in a while, a good memory comes along. Shadow, AKA, Adam, said something to me that got me to thinking that these good memories are like diamonds dug from the muck. Good memories are very precious. I will tell you of one of my good memories. If you have a good memory feel free to post it also.

I remember the Summer My sister K. was in charge of her two younger brothers Darrel and John. She made us work all morning pulling weeds from the garden and doing other chores around the house. After lunch, we would put a blanket on the front lawn in the shade and she would read to us. One of the books she read was Little Men, by Louisa May Alcott. I also remember how she would not let Jimmy, the neighbor kid come around. All summer, she kept him away during the time she was in charge. She didn't like him even a little bit. She warned me not to let him into my pants, but by that time it was too late.

The memory of my sister K. and that summer is truly a Diamond Dug From the Muck.

Love ya

Darrel
 
I remember when Dad used to take all us kids on Saturday afternoon walks down on the river bottom, or up into the hills. He'd make us these really cool willow whistles and we'd blow them and make noise and have a lot of fun. We'd take our whistles home and try to keep them fresh and functioning by putting them in the refrigerator. It didn't work tho... :)

Great thread.

Lots of love,

John
 
when i was in second grade a friend of mine from my class had to move away because her dad got a job in florida. when she moved, she gave me one of her pet turtles because she knew that i always liked to go over to her house and play with her turtles. we would race the turtles and feed them apples...it was so fun. so, when she gave me one of her turtles it made me really happy and i named it after her. unfortunatly the turtle ran away after only having it a few days. later on in 3rd grade i hadn't forgotten about my long lost pet and i wrote a story about my turtle and how my friend and i would race the turtles when i would go over to her house. my teacher really liked the story and submitted it into a creative writing contest.
i won 3rd place :) .
 
Kurt,

guess you never did forget that pet, who could when they bring such fond memories.

I would love it to pour with rain, and sit on the back step covered in mud, pulling worms apart, to see if they really would make two worms.

Guess I always got to digging in muck and mud,
I loved the stuff :)
Still do,

ste
 
I made a friend down the street right around the time my abuer moved away. He helped me find the voice I had not used for 2 or 3 years. He had one of those little record players and stacks of 45's. We would sit in his room and sing Freddy Cannon songs like "Transister Sister" and songs by Ricky Nelson and alot of others. I think it had a big part to do with my learning to talk agian.
And his house always smelled like chocolate chip cookies. Everytime I went there his mom would give me a couple.
Nice thread Darrel. Thanks

Dale
 
I have a lot of good memories, but one that I know has come back to me many times is from 1962, when things were really bad because my best friend and I were being abused together by then. I was sick with shame and fear. One day my Dad knocked on my door and came in and suggested we go see Lawrence of Arabia together. It was in one of those huge-screen theaters, special sound, and all the rest.

My Dad wants to see this cool film with me? I couldn't believe it. We went, just the two of us, without my mother or sisters. We bought an obscene amount of popcorn, watched the first half with his arm around me, and then at the intermission went out to reload with more popcorn. After the film we went for burgers and fries.

I clung to that memory for dear life through the next year and it's still one of my favorites.

Much love,
Larry
 
You know what is so exciting about this post to me, I have spent so much time trying to recover the bad memories and deal with them that I have stopped looking back to the good ones for my support in times of need. It is as if they had a hase on them from the abuse. Once I started digging around in my past and realizing the trauma had caused me so much pain it made everything after the abuse strange and less pleasurable. I need to get back to remembering the good stuff and holding on to it for dear life it is the stuff that keeps us going. I know I had to dig up the bad but I also need to get to a point that I put it down and hold onto the good.

Thanks for the post it has me thinking.
 
One of my absolute favorite memories comes from just after I turned 12 - this would've been late 1992. I went with much of my extended family to a wedding in Pontiac, Michigan. I forget exactly who it was - some second cousin of mine whom I'd never before met was marrying some guy or other. Oh well.

I remember the reception - there was a halfway decent DJ, and according to some tradition or other (somewhat hazy about where it came from), there was one dance that was only for the women, and one dance that would only be for the men. The women chose the song "Shout", and danced appropriately. For the men's dance, the groom and his committee picked a very obscure piece of music - a jazz piece, I think - and there was a dance that went along with it called "The Alligator" - a floor dance which involves some spinning, flopping, pounding, and stomping. Don't feel bad if you've never heard of it...

3 guys - the ones who knew the dance - started off. The movements were not complex, and people picked it up quick; before long there must've been two dozen guys all flopping around on the floor. I somehow found the courage and managed to jump in there after learning the dance - I swear the music went on for a half an hour, but I didn't care. You can have no idea how much fun it was! What I wouldn't give to live that night again.

Thank you for starting this thread, derdle - my mood has been lifted so high just by typing my post!
 
while i have dug one diamond ,i had to dig through mountains of broken glass to find it ,got a few cuts along the way but it was worth it .to be able to say hey!i remember that!and it was cool!!maybe someday the good will outweigh the bad or at least break even. adam
 
Memories,

good or bad, it is who we are today.
We have to face the bad memories, or they will never go away, and keep resurfacing.
Those good memories are like gold dust to me.

Our uniqueness is brought about by our past, good and bad, so trying to even them out is the best way as adam says.

Looking at it another way, is that those bad memories caused so much damage right through our lives, and changed parts that need to be changed back again.

Slaying our demons, and how they have distorted our perceptions is the way forward I guess.
Break down these barriers that have hurt for so long and taken away a lot of who we were meant to be,

ste
 
There are several memories that I have that are almost always around!

One, when I was about four, the whole family and a lot of friends went down to the local river for a picnic. We all had something to eat, then we started exploring like kids do. I got to the rivers edge, and spotted, what to me was a large golden fish reflecting in the sunlight! I jumped in to catch it (couldn't swim) and remember going under the water with my eyes open. The next thing I knew was that I had surfaced at the opposite bank feeling really good - everyone else was stood on the original bank looking terrified, and my sister and her friend were running to the bridge to come around and get me! I didn't know what all the fuss was about! I don't know where the fish disappeared to either!

Another memory was of being at my Grandparents house at Oakenshaw..it was number 2 Fan Cottages, right next to a large wood. It was autumn, and the leaves were still on the trees, even though they were dried out. As the day got darker, the wind started to pick up speed until it was blowing a gale. I went outside with my Grandfather to listen to the noise! It was absolutely awesome! There were hundreds of trees with the wind whistling and rumbling through them - it was terrifying to hear, but I wasn't afraid, because my Grandfather was there! Maybe that's why I like Motorhead and Metallica!?

Another memory I have is with the same Grandfather! He took me for a walk through the same woods one spring day. We came to a fire break in the trees, and started to walk along it! Just as we entered, the sun came from behind the clouds and shone directly towards us! As it did so, it lit up the rhododendrons near us, it also shone across a magic carpet of bluebells! He died not long after! Everytime I see that painting of bluebells, I think of that time and my Grandfather.

There are more happy memories, but 3 is enough for now - my eyes are starting to blur!

Best wishes ...Rik
 
It is so cool to read this thread. What a bunch of awesome memories we have. Not everything was bad. As I read, tears came to my eyes as I saw the treasures that you, my friends, are putting on display for us all to see. Thanks so much for replying to this thread.

Something happened today that triggered the following memory.

My grandmother came to live with us when I was 10 years old, not too long after the SA started. By time I was 12, my grandmother was confined to bed. At times, it was my duty to watch Grandma while the rest of the family was away. There wasnt much to do, just call the neighbor if the house caught on fire or some other disaster happened. But when nobody was there, I would lie on the bed next to her. She would put her arms around me and hold me close. We would talk, mostly about things that didnt make any sense because her mind was failing. I remember one time when I told her things that I couldnt tell anybody else because she couldnt remember it long enough to repeat it. I told her about the neighbor kid Jimmy and what he did to me. I can remember listening to her heartbeat and crying while she held in me her arms and told me that she loved me. She promised me that she would put a stop to it. I knew that she wouldnt because she couldnt remember, but I sure wished she could. I also know that she loved me and that love is a treasured memory.

Love ya

Darrel
 
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