Deja vu

I have only experienced this feeling twice that was so strong that it is imprinted in my mind.

I don't understand the philosophy of previous lives. It might be something to explore sometime.

When I was about 9 years old I had two experiences that were explained to me as deja vu. The summer of 1941 my family took a vacation to several places and visited family along the way. I had measles the first week of the trip. The highlight of the trip was several days in New Orleans. My father hired a guide to drive our car with all the family aboard a neat trick as our family consisted of my parents, my material grandmother, my sister and I. We were crammed into a 1941 Plymouth green sedan. I was small enough to sit on someones lap. This would never be allow today. He drove us all over city of New Orleans. I remember the St Lewis Cathedral we had a tour inside. First time I had been in a Catholic church I was fascinated. We walked along some streets and could looked into tropical courtyards. How I thought that would be terrific to live in a place like that. I loved the sweet treat of pralines. We went to visit one of the homes of Huey P. Long. That name did not register with me I knew nothing of him personally or politically. My family was not involved in politics. My only political knowledge was what my father told me. Republicans were for the rich people and Demo crates were for the working people.

We walked from the house along a brick walk beside the courtyard out to the street. I kept wanting to go back to that walk and courtyard I had been there before. That is the first time of deja vu. I ask a million questions about the feeling of deja vu. It was the first time I had heard the term much less had it explained to me.

I must have been a horribly inquisitive youngster. I must have driven my father crazy on that trip. I don't remember a lot of it. My father was a big tease, there was a little black boy with his feet in the Mississippi river. We were walking on the dock. My father stopped to talk to him. He ask him if he was afraid he would make the river muddy. The river was already muddy and the little boy didn't under stand him. I am sure the adults near by did. It was a terribly racist comment but he just wanted to say sometime to the little one. How times have changed.

The next time I was visiting a friend who lived several blocks away from me. We had just heard on the radio that President Roosevelt had died. He had been President all of my life. That was a scary thing to a 9 year old. I was raised by a over anxious mother so I lived with fears that tore me apart. I was sitting on the curb of that apartment by where my friend lived. I again had that feeling of deja vu. How both of these were connected I don't know or if they are connected. I would like to explore some hypnosis some time to see if I have some previous life or lives that would account for these feelings. I had been in the apartment many times, but I had never sat on the curb. Why we were sitting on the curb waiting for someone or something I don't remember.

I never had those feelings again I don't know why. I have often wondered if I outgrew them. Were they related to dreams that I don't remember? Or just the results of a over anxious mother that I absorbed so much of. My daughter once told me she didn't see how I had become a some what normal human being, after my childhood. My daughter knew me better than anyone, how I miss her.

Labor Day 1971

We had just moved from Hendrix to Hermosa. Second son was senior in high school and was worried about getting to participate in sports at his old high school. I didn't have money for school clothes for P who was starting second grade.

My favorite place for fabric was TG&Y they had bolts of fabric but also a large table of remnants. I dug through them trying to find pieces large enough to make a garment. The bigger pieces were the wrong colors and prints for a little one. Grey, hunter green, and strange prints, pants were easy just like the PG pants. Tops were smocks that was the style for little girls her age.

Our new house had a screened in back porch which opened out into a walled small back yard. P was happy to play in the new backyard. I drug a card table, sewing machine,and small TV out to the screened in porch. Jerry Lewis my favorite comedian had a telethon on TV.

Labor day was spent cutting out and sewing 3 sets of pants and smocks. P spent the day in the yard and helping me watch Jerry Lewis's telethon. She wore them all year and loved them.

I wonder how we got through those years hubby was going to school and working. I was working. First son was in college and second son a senior in high school, P going into second grade. I was working and trying to keep every thing going at home. One of my favorite labor days.

I have spent this labor day digging through paper work at home trying to get things cleaned out.