I miss yesterday.

I miss little sticky hands and little bare feet that stepped on my toes

I miss big rough hands that held mine when we walked.

I miss hugs that said I’m sorry and loved me through the good and bad days.

I miss my mother who showed her love in a million ways but never spoke it

I miss my dad who would pick up where I left off in a book and then ask me how it all began. 

I miss the churches of my childhood but now I live in one, built of stone and plaster and tin ceilings

I miss my friends whose imperfections have long since faded in memory

I miss my young self who could work for hours without rest and who strived every day to become superwoman, never quite achieving it. 

I miss a clear young face that never dreamed of wrinkles

I miss the old world, the one I grew up in,

I miss the old folks of yesterday

I miss roaming through the mountains

I miss going to my grandma’s house and smiling in anticipation long before I got there

I miss the aunts and uncles and siblings and a house full of folks on a Sunday afternoon. 

I miss sitting around a gnat smoke and hearing tall tales told by old men with a chaw of tobacco. 

I miss the slamming of screen doors

I miss unpainted houses that smelled of good country cooking 

I miss yesterday.

Source: Journey of a Mountain Woman on Facebook, May she rest in peace.