I miss snow falling when it’s summer. I miss Black Cows and Sugar Babies. I miss bunk beds and tiny babies warm in my arms. I miss innocence and not knowing any better.

I miss being able to call Cathy and hear her in-your-face solution. I miss Godfather’s Pizza on Friday night by the Rexall Drug Store in Rockbrook, sitting in the cool dark of that little upstairs balcony. I miss banana splits from Goodrich Dairy.

I miss riding horses every single day during summer in the mountains and campfires with s’mores, guitar and singing, “Pharaoh, Pharaoh, oh, oh, let my people go-ya-ya-ya-ya” and “It only takes a spark to get a fire going.” I miss Wranglers-Night-Out and driving in reverse down dirt roads in the dark.

I miss my dad’s red socks. I miss riding my ‘indian’ ten speed. I miss sitting in Mary McWhorter’s bedroom listening to Beatles’ albums. I miss Saturday morning cartoons: Land of the Lost and The Jetsons. I miss donuts at church, was it every fourth Sunday?

I miss drive-in movies and big brown paper bags full of popcorn. I miss singing in a choir. I miss sharing prayer with my small group. I miss that platform tent by the stable and Pegasus. I miss dancing the Salty Dog Rag and the Hokey Pokey. I miss big puffy sweet clouds of cotton candy-especially the blue kind.

While I do miss all of these things and more, they are tucked safely away in sweet memories. I bring them out every so often, dust them off and savor them.