“These are days, you’ll remember,

Never before and never since, I promise

Will the whole world be warm as this and as you feel it.

You’ll know it’s true that you are blessed and lucky.

It’s true that you are touched by something,

That will grow and bloom in you.”

– “These Are The Days” By 10,000 Maniacs

My little family and I had a very big, but enjoyable Sunday this past weekend. We attended the Busti Apple Fest where we gorged ourselves on candied pecans, fresh-cut curly fries and beef on weck.

In case you were wondering, we don’t actually go to buy crafts – we go to eat. It’s a wonder we don’t gain 10 pounds by the time we leave, but I think that has a lot to do with the walking involved.

Then, we went home and prepared a nice ham dinner and invited my folks over. We visited for a while around the table, sharing in a pleasant, fall-esque meal and my folks left with well-wishes, thanks and full stomachs.

We settled down in the living room to relax and stretch out a bit and we decided to watch the “Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.”

With my little one, we had to fast-forward through a few parts due to their level of scary creatures. (She’s not really a big fan of the Nazgul, the ringwraiths in black robes that chase Frodo and his friends around. They screech in a horrible manner – so, we don’t mind skipping over those parts.)

I think it was my favorite part of the day, though, watching her get all caught up in the movie. The mystery of Middle Earth, the wonder of Rivendell and the elves. The quest of Samwise and Frodo.

It’s amazing to see someone so small enjoy the things I enjoyed when I was younger. There is just something about rekindling the love you had for something with your little kiddo beside you.

When we have adventurous and full days such as these, it reminds me of my childhood when I would spend the weekends out and about with my folks.

When I was a kid, my mom would always have something planned for us to do. If we could sneak Dad away from his work long enough, he’d go to.

Sometimes, we went to a festival, or sometimes we went to lunch – but we were constantly doing something new and exciting.

I remembered being excited to embark on an adventure to Watkins Glen or to visit Findley Lake. We often went to the library, or visited local eateries for lunch.

At the time, I never realized how important those moments were. Sure, I had fun and I always looked forward to the next occasion, but I never counted on how much I would treasure those memories for years to come. I know a jaunt out to the Apple Festival, a ham dinner with family and a movie night might not be that exciting for a lot of people, but as an adult, I can now recognize just how important these moments are.

I am trying to make it a goal to have as many of these little adventures as possible, and make as many memories for my kiddo as I possibly can.

More and more, it seems the world is bent on negativity and division – but I want to make it so my little family just doesn’t have time for that. I want to pack our schedule so full of movie nights and dinners together and church on Sunday morning that we just can’t see past our happiness to let the darkness in.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t notice the negativity, or that we shouldn’t watch the news or even that we should live in a different reality. We can live in the same reality, and still not focus on negativity. We can be aware of the issues, be aware of what is going on and still maintain some semblance of livelihood. You can listen to the news or scroll through your social media – but don’t forget to put your phone on silent and turn off the news for your adventures and family time.

The bleak news of today will be there tomorrow. The darkness of sorrow, pain, misfortune and more will not disappear just because you took your eyes off it.

Just don’t forget there is some good in the world – make that your focus sometimes, too. You never know what kind of memories you’ll be storing up for yourself and others.