Glory Days

I've posted that when Terry and I travel we take along CD's of "Road Music".  For a few years we subscribed to satellite radio but discovered we like our own choices better. So, on our Charlotte trip, we were listening to a "Greatest Hits of Bruce Springstein" and his song "Glory Days" played.

Glory Days

I had a friend was a big baseball player

back in high school
He could throw that speedball by you
Make you look like a fool boy
Saw him the other night at this roadside bar
I was walking in, he was walking out
We went back inside sat down had a few drinks
but all he kept talking about was

Chorus:
Glory days well they'll pass you by
Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye
Glory days, glory days

Well there's a girl that lives up the block
back in school she could turn all the boy's heads
Sometimes on a Friday I'll stop by
and have a few drinks after she put her kids to bed
Her and her husband Bobby well they split up
I guess it's two years gone by now
We just sit around talking about the old times,
she says when she feels like crying
she starts laughing thinking about

Chorus

My old man worked 20 years on the line
and they let him go
Now everywhere he goes out looking for work
they just tell him that he's too old
I was 9 nine years old and he was working at the
Metuchen Ford plant assembly line
Now he just sits on a stool down at the Legion hall
but I can tell what's on his mind

Glory days yeah goin back
Glory days aw he ain't never had
Glory days, glory days

Now I think I'm going down to the well tonight
and I'm going to drink till I get my fill
And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it
but I probably will
Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture
a little of the glory of, well time slips away
and leaves you with nothing mister but
boring stories of glory days

The third verse isn't sung on this 1985 video, but resonates so much now because of all the closed automobile factories.

We've all know the sports jock that lived his best days in High School.  The one voted "most likely...." but it didn't happen for him.  We've seen the woman still wearing the same hair style she had at 17, but now she's 35, or 45 or 55.   

It got me thinking about my own glory days.   Do I count High School as one of them?  Sure!  Dates on Saturday nights...Football games and dances... Mom bought my clothes and  paid my bills. ....Glory Days.

Looking at the road I traveled, I would say my first marriage was not the best use of my time... accept I came out the winner in that too, because I walked away with a precious little girl.  

Terry played football in high school and college.  He was a marathon runner when we met.....Glory Days

After we  were married, he gave that up.  Too time consuming and we had our younger girls.  I distinctly remember knowing those were "the good ole days".   Three daughters to share memories.  Sippy cups and security blankets.  Soccer and basketball games. Family dinners and vacations,   School clothes shopping, and prom dress hunting.  Senior pictures and college graduation.    Glory Days.........

Now that my mother has been gone for 5 1/2 years, and I have moved 5 states away, I long for those family get togethers.  The many holidays, summer cookouts, graduation open houses, Birthday celebrations.  Any excuse and all excuses just to get together to spend time with one another.

  Glory Days....

When I took my break from blogging, my sister ( YFS - Your Favorite Sister)  thought I needed to plan a trip.  I needed to do something to shake the doldrums and cobwebs out of my brain.  So we did. 

 My Mother and Father both only had one brother each. Both have passed away.    They, in turn, have one child each. (Actually my Mother's brother has another one when he was in the Air Force, stationed in Scotland, but we have never met her.)  After not seeing either girl for decades ( they both live in other states) my sister tracked them down this winter.  Thank you Facebook. 

So, in June, my sister and I are meeting in Tampa to spend a few days with one of the cousins and her family.  I believe she is about 15 years younger than us.  She is married and has a young daughter, about 8 I think.  See, I really do need to know her better.  We will spend a couple of days at a hotel on the beach with her and her Mom, that we both adored, for "girl time", as well as at her house.  ( The Uncle and Aunt divorced... long story) I have not seen the Mom since I was about 20 years old.  After that, my Uncle brought our cousin to Michigan for a visit when I was about 40... She was a teen.

My sister is planning on inviting my father's niece, the other cousin, up to Michigan from her home in Missouri, sometime this summer too.  She really wants to hear the "growing up" stories about her father (who passed away when she was a teen)  from my father..his brother.   I  would like to be there for that too.  We'll see how that works out.

This is a whole new experience.  Connecting with long lost relatives and vacationing with my sister.  You know what this sounds like to me?  Yep, you got it.

Glory Days

What "Glory Days " do you most cherish?