Billy Creek...

One of my fondest memories as a child were the Sunday afternoon drives we would take as a family, usually to the mountains or to visit my grandparents.  I remember one Sunday, we headed to the mountains.  We were going some place new, for me, a place called Billy Creek.  It had to have been April, because it was warm.  I remember wearing sandals because my Mom had a hard and fast rule that you did NOT go barefoot before May 1st, something about the ground not being warm enough yet. :-)  Anywho, we got to Billy Creek and it was running full from the spring rains...it was amazing and yet terrifying to see how fast the water was rushing through.  There was a boulder sitting out a few feet from the bank and my step-dad jumped over to it and told us kids to run and jump and he would catch us.  My brother, being the not-afraid-of-anything-daredevil jumped first.  I jumped next and my foot went into the water...yea!  That meant that I got to take my sandals off so they could  dry on the warm rock and I got to go barefoot before May 1st!!!  I remember those things so vividly whenever the creek is mentioned because it was a time when we had fun as a family.  There weren't any bad things to mar it.  That was the only time that we went there, so throughout my adult life, I've wondered if it was just a figment of my imagination or real.  I didn't know where it was or how to get back to it until my Mom moved to the little community of Muse.  Less than a half mile from the turn off to BILLY CREEK!

Every time I have gone to visit my Mom, I've thought to myself that I ought to go on down and see if it is as I remember it from my childhood.  Every time, I run out of time...until this Thanksgiving.  I finally made it back to Billy Creek and this is what I found...

I couldn't find the same boulder, but what I found wasn't too far off from the memories I had.  The fall colors were beautiful and I got to see it again with my son and my grand-daughter.  She will have the memory of finding the perfect rock to throw into the creek to make the "kerplunk" sound.  Not every rock will do it.  She will also remember that when Granna says not to throw the big rocks that she really should listen otherwise you might end up face first in the creek, which she came very close to doing.  That was enough to not try it again. 

As I celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, I concentrated on how thankful I am for the "happy" memories that I have from childhood.  So many of the devastating memories have taken over too much of my life and while I do my best to finally deal with and get over them, I want to take hold of the happy moments and hold them dear.  I want to share them with my children and grandchildren and those who want to be a part of my life.  I am counting my blessings and naming them one by one...so for this post, I am thankful for the memory of Billy Creek...a small body of water that brought me joy as a child and has stayed with me for many years.  What are you thankful for today?