Reminiscing (C) December 20, 2015, Tony Fallon.

Reminiscing (C) December 20, 2015, Tony Fallon.

Some Christmas nights when you feel lonely and you think we're far apart, 
I may have turned to the album of snapshots I keep in my heart. 
I have a page reserved for pictures of the first time our eyes met'
'Twas you dancing at the Carnival in Drumlish I will never forget.
Then my parents meeting your parents in their Sunday suits,
And your poor mother embarrassed caught in her wellington boots.
Do you remember evenings we watched crows flying home to nest
As a red, red sun was setting o'er Galway far off in the west.
Or how about the days in Salthill watching children play in the sand .
And you and I like teenagers on the promenade hand in hand.
Or when we fished on Lough Ree and caught perch and pike
And the next Sunday went to Mulligar mass each on a three-speed bike.
And then on other weekends they were all talking about the loving pair,
Cycling to far off Knockcroghery or Ballinasloe for the annual fair. 
Remember when we all gathered round the fire on bonfire day.
And heard the corn crake corncraking below there in the hay.
I still remember our honeymoon on the cliffs below in Clare,
With the wind blowing softly and the sunlight in your hair.
Some pages and photos are filled with very pretty flowers,
Other days remembered were days of wind and showers.
And there are so many pages of our little darling Joanie,
Do you remember how she squealed when we let her ride the pony?
How much she loved the dogs and cats it was wonderful to see,
I can still see the dog licking her face and she giggling in glee.
And the day she cried so bitterly when we left her in infant class
Two years later she was our little angel at her first communion mass.
She was so brave and fearless wouldn't cry when she cut her knee,
Yet felt she'd let us down when she didn't win the Rose of Castlerea.
And then of course, there was Johnny with his nickname "little devil".
But he had a heart as big as a mountain with not a trace of evil.
He was a magician with the squeeze box he could nearly make it talk.
And he danced so much on Sundays on Mondays he could hardly walk.
He could run or jump or play football in sport he was supreme
Remember the pride in the parish when he made the county team
I can still see him in my mind's eye on that far off St Patrick's day
When he marched so proudly in the Athlone parade with the FCA.
He could play 25 or poker with any man he was good at all he tried,
When he left for America you were not the only female who cried.
And how can I forget all the grandparents for they surely cared,
They were always there to help us get our children reared.
Another page has images of Christmas mornings with Santas toys'
And then the very next day stale turkey and the excitement of wren boys.
How can we forget the dreaded letter that came from far over the water
With a ticket and traveling dollars from Johnny for our only daughter.
I cursed the day that letter arrived yet I bore him no ill,
It's with all the other letters and photos in the glass case still.
And the pictures from New York when they brought us on the plane,
And because you didn't like the humidity we never went back again.
There are many pictures of grandkids from New York and DC
And here on the ould farm, it's now the old donkey you and me.
As we wait eleven months preparing for their annual Summer trip.,
And they trying to teach me baseball with my new knee and hip.
Christy hits the ball so far he claims he'll be the next Babe Ruth
Johnny could hit the sliotar twice as far when he was in his youth.
And Mary Anne plays soccer and has this far out dream
To be the goalie one day of the American ladies soccer team.
Isn’t it strange indeed that this should be her lofty ambition
When I played hurling football and soccer that was my position
Ah there's been a lot of changes in our lives since that first day we met
We're not cruising around on bikes no more we're surfing on the net.
Ah there are so many pages and pictures of you my one and only love 
As strong and courageous as a lion yet as gentle as a dove.
So at Christmas when you see me sitting and you think we are apart.
It's only my private moments with them snapshots in my heart.
And as I sit here reminiscing with them priceless pictures in my head,
I pray they'll stay crisp and focused until the day I'm dead.