I was thinking about my mother, today, and remembering a time long past. Our family was living on Lake Buchanan in Central Texas, not far from Austin. The little town was called Tow. My Grandfather had bought a retirement home/farm there and he and my Grandmother had yet to retire and move in. So, we were living there. At the time, what I didn’t know is that we were sent there because the doctors had told my parents that there was nothing they could do for my Father. They sent him home to die and that is what our little family was doing. Waiting.
Because of the circumstances, we didn’t have any money, so toys were out of the question. But I remember walking down the country road with my Mother, my short, sturdy legs working to keep up, and finally sitting down under an oak tree beside the road. While there, Mom took one of the many acorns and, using her fingernail, carved a face in the acorn, thus making an Acornman. Acornmen can do amazing things and we sat under the tree and explored the world of acornmen for a timeless now. Once rested, we got up and continued on our way, acornmen left on the roadside, forgotten, until a wayward thought brought them back today.