Christmas Memories of JoAnn

You have provided so many of us with an opportunity to reunite and keep in touch with old friends and acquaintances. Thank you!

Christmas is a special time when our minds are flooded with memories of our childhood. The Christmas messages on the blog have brought back some special ones for me.As a kid, I didn’t think much about the “beauty” of things until I got a little older.

One Christmas Eve, my family walked to visit the Hinks family (parents of Jimmy Hinks) at the top end of the Park. For days it had snowed and snowed, but on this night all was still. The moon was so full and bright it was like daylight and the snow was glistening. The snow banks were high and the streets packed with the “white stuff.”

As we walked home, nobody was saying a word and each step we took, there was a crunch, crunch, crunch. That beautiful moment is emblazoned in my mind about my childhood Christmas times in GPK.

When we got home and into bed, I SWEAR I heard the jingling of bells outside the house. My sister and I were supposed to be asleep so I quickly closed my eyes very tight because I was convinced that Santa had arrived!! Imagination? Probably so—or maybe my Dad wanted to make the night even more special, but it is a great memory.

As I reflect more on those days in GPK, we were always anxious for the ice to form so that we could skate—anywhere—just skate. I know many of the readers will recall the first pair of skates to be “cheese cutters”—those funny looking blades that we strapped to our boots.

My biggest wish was that someday I would have a REAL pair of “figure skates.” The year I finally got them from Santa was one of the most memorable seasons. We didn’t need a ton of gifts—just one was fine—how times have changes as we shower our children and grandchildren with so much.

Merry Christmas everyone!JoAnn (Miller) Gowens

This should have been posted elsewhere around Dec 20 2005, but was not. So we posted it for all to enjoy...Thanks JoAnn

Thanks JoAnn