Memories, poetry and Mary Hopkin on the path least traveled..

Diary from the path least traveled..

“My will shall shape the future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man’s doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze.. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny”. Elaine Maxwell

“If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster.” Isaac Asimov

“The one who follows the crowd will usually get no further than the crowd. The one who walks alone, is likely to find himself in places no one has ever been.”
Albert Einstein

Hello Diary,

Back again….it is Saturday morning and I believe that Ole Man Winter has finally moved on for now… Popping in to share some thoughts and memories before getting on with the day… have been busy working outdoors, slowly bringing the yard and gardens out of the winter doldrums.. Uncovered the fish pond and saw that the fish had made it through the winter… I used “feeder” goldfish to stock the pond….

Got to chatting about memories last week and the important role they play in peoples lives…thought I share a few about the “good ole days”, back when we thought we were nine foot tall and bullet proof, indestructible, always looking for adventure….had a pocket full of dreams…and then one day Father Time, with old age, made its presence known and we found out we were not immortal… 🙂

One memory began with my son being born on Sept. 28, 1965…I were in the USMC then in North Carolina..on Sept. 30, 1965 I got orders to go to Vietnam…had three weeks to pack all our worldly belongings, get back to Illinois and find a home for family, then off to war…when I left for war, my son was less than a month old, unable to totally recognize me and for the most part I was a stranger… I was shot at and missed, sh** on and hit, 🙂 , but fortunately I manage to leave, the enemy were shelling the runway as I were boarding the plane to take me to Okinawa… I made it home Christmas Eve, 1966, my son were walking and talking some and I was still a stranger… 🙂

I wrote a poem about Vietnam that I usually post on Memorial Day, May 30, but thought I would share at this time…

In Remembrance……

We were volunteers, one and all
So Noble.. Proud.. and Brave,
Did not know the reasons for war
Just a people from tyranny to save!

Glasses held high, we made an toast
Surely that Victory would rule the day!
While back at home, the voices of unrest
Not a kind word for us did they say.

Some could not vote, children were we
Some could not drink, but still our battle cry,
Even with all that we could not do
For us children, it was to do or die!

Vietnam was a hostile, violent land
The dangers, the horrors of war abound,
Whether the paddies of Vietnam or the fields of home,
Seemed for us, not a friend could be found.

But we proudly gave it our all, lads
Faced our destiny, with a hint of fear of tomorrow
Some to return to a mother’s joy
Some to return to a mother’s sorrow.

So should you be looking on today, lads
One more toast, hold your glasses high,
To PEACE, HOPE and LOVE, may they long endure
CHEERS, LADDIES!!!.. And SEMPER FI

(penned on May 30, 2009 by; Sgt, Larry “Dutch” Woller
12th Marine Regiment
Vietnam, 1965–1966..)

War and conflict breeds more war, conflict, hate, anger suffering…never solves anything..

Through effort, love, understanding we come together as a family…remember one memory, when he was a teenager my son and his friend had one of those three wheelers that were the rage at that time.. They would ride it, taking daring chances… I came home one day after work, and were going to the bathroom and as I approached the door, which were closed, I heard some moaning… I opened the door and saw my son taking pieces of asphalt out of his skin with a tweezers…apparently got thrown with no helmet.. 🙂 wasn’t so funny then but it is now…. 🙂

My daughter was born in 1970 and she was always on an adventure and were fond of saying “it is what it is”… 🙂 after getting her drivers license she and another friend took her car and went to a neighboring village to a Saturday evening party on Easter Weekend…I am not sure what totally transpired, but got a late night phone call from her saying someone had let the air out of all four tires… I told her not to worry, I would come up and get them and get the tires taken care of Sunday morning before starting Easter festivities..got everyone home that night and early Sunday morning went to the neighboring village to put air in the tires… when I got there, all four tires had air in them!.. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… never did find out who let the air out of the tires and who put the air back in the tires… 🙂

So, there are a few memories of many that were made over time as I ventured through life, seeking to find what Fate had waiting for me… and having left safe harbor, sometimes sailing against the wind, rowing against the current, much to the dismay of some… 🙂

Yes, memories of all kinds, saved in a part of the heart…then, when I get too old to dream, those memories will live in my heart… 🙂 … I had better close now, venture on down the path least traveled, search for rainbows and gather more memories…but I shall return again one day, Fate be willin’ and the creeks don’t rise…

Yes, those were the days, were they not Mary Hopkin?… 🙂