Buttons and Memories

I miss my mom. I used to push all the buttons just as she would walk down the aisle, a mischievous glint in my eye. Each time we visited the grocery store, I’d dash ahead, my small fingers dancing over the colorful buttons of the self-checkout machine. With each beep, she’d turn around, half-laughing, half-exasperated. “You little rascal! One day, you’re going to break it!” she’d say, shaking her head, but her smile would give her away. Those moments were filled with laughter and light, the kind of memories that could brighten even the dullest days.

Since her passing, the grocery store has become a hollow place for me. I walk through, the automatic doors sliding open with a soft whoosh, and I feel the weight of the emptiness settle in my chest. The shelves filled with brightly packaged goods seem to mock my solitude. I can still hear her voice, echoing in my mind, reminding me to pick up my favorite snacks or to try a new recipe. I wander through the aisles, my heart heavy, searching for a piece of her in every corner.

I remember how she would linger by the produce, inspecting the apples with care, always choosing the shiniest ones. “The best things in life are worth taking a moment to choose,” she would say, her hands gently brushing over the fruit. Now, I find myself standing there, staring at the apples, unable to choose. They all seem dull and lifeless without her touch.

The self-checkout machines are still there, their buttons waiting to be pressed, but they feel like a cruel reminder of what I’ve lost. I can’t bring myself to push them anymore. The last time I stood in front of one, the memories flooded back. I could almost hear her laughter, feel her presence beside me. But it was just a memory, fleeting and painful.

Every week, I return to the store, hoping that somehow it will feel different, that I’ll find a way to connect with her again. But the aisles remain unchanged, their fluorescent lights buzzing overhead like a persistent reminder of my loneliness. I see other families laughing and chatting, and I feel like an outsider looking in on a world that no longer includes me.

One evening, as I walked past the cereal aisle, I spotted a box of her favorite brand. It was decorated with bright colors and cheerful characters, a stark contrast to the heaviness in my heart. I hesitated for a moment, then reached out and grabbed it, a sudden rush of nostalgia washing over me. I could almost see her standing beside me, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “Let’s get it! We can make our special breakfast tomorrow!” 

With the box cradled in my arms, I made my way to the checkout. I felt a warmth spreading through me, the kind of warmth that comes from cherished memories. But as I stood there, scanning the items and watching the screen flash numbers, I realized that I was alone. The laughter we shared, the spontaneous dance parties in the kitchen, all of it felt like a distant dream.

When I got home, I placed the box on the kitchen counter, a bittersweet smile tugging at my lips. I thought about making pancakes, just like we used to, the kitchen filled with the scent of vanilla and maple syrup. I reached for my phone to call her, to share the news, but my heart sank as reality set in. There would be no more calls, no more laughter echoing through the house.

That night, I sat in the dark, the box of cereal beside me, feeling the weight of my grief settle in. I poured myself a bowl, the sound of the cereal hitting the milk breaking the silence. As I took the first bite, tears streamed down my cheeks. Each crunch reminded me of the moments we had shared, and I felt an ache in my chest for the warmth of her presence.

“I miss you, Mom,” I whispered into the stillness of the room. “I wish I could press all the buttons just one more time, hear you laugh, feel your hand in mine.” 

But the buttons would remain untouched, just as the aisles of the grocery store would remain silent, a reflection of the emptiness I felt inside. And in that moment, I realized that while the world continued to move forward, I would always carry her with me, a bittersweet reminder of the love that once filled my life.

Harrison Ford was married twice before he met and fell in love at 67 with his third wife, actress Calista Flockhart.

Harrison Ford fell in love at 67 with a much younger woman after two failed marriages, and he even adopted her son. The actor felt like a little boy again and gushed over his wife, with whom he lives a quiet life on a farm where they enjoyed spending time in the woods.

Harrison Ford was married twice before he met and fell in love at age 67 with his third wife, actress Calista Flockhart. In 1964, the actor tied the knot with his first wife, Mary Marquardt.

Harrison began working as a carpenter to support their two sons because he wasn’t a famous actor. In 1977, he was featured in “Star Wars” and found fame, but his marriage wasn’t equipped to handle the Hollywood lifestyle.

Carrie Fisher, his “Star Wars” co-star, confessed years later that they had an “intense” illegal substance-fueled affair while he was married. Long after his marriage to Marquardt ended in 1979, Harrison went into union with Melissa Mathison in 1983.However, before tying the knot, the duo failed to sign a prenuptial agreement. The “E.T.” screenwriter and the actor welcomed a son and a daughter, but their relationship was also not meant to last.

The “Raiders of the Lost Ark” star paid a whopping $85 million when he and his second wife divorced in 2004. Their separation was described as amicable, but it was rumored that Harrison had been adulterous.

In 2003, Harrison, then 60, who was usually reserved about his personal life, admitted, “I’m in love” when speaking about his relationship with Calista, then 38. He said romantic love was one of the most fulfilling and exciting kinds of love, adding:

“I think there is a potential for it at any stage of your life.”

The star revealed he wasn’t surprised that he could fall in love and did. At the time, the “Ally McBeal” actress and Harrison had been dating since January 2002 when they met at the Golden Globe Awards.

However, until that interview, the actor had been reluctant to open up about his relationship with Calista. The “Indiana Jones” star was so serious about the actress that he proposed on Valentine’s Day in 2009!

Calista Flockhart and Harrison Ford at The "K-19: The Widow Maker" premiere at The Deauville Festival of American Cinema on September 3, 2002 | Source: Getty Images

Harrison’s proposal to make Calista his third wife happened while they were on vacation. The couple didn’t waste much time before making their relationship official and married in Santa Fe, Mexico, in June 2010.

Before the actress began dating Harrison, she’d become a single parent by adopting her son, Liam, in 2001. However, after marrying the actor, he formally adopted Calista’s son, adding him to his other four children from his previous marriages.

In 2008, the star, then 65, confessed that being a father again to a young child “made me just a bit less self-centered.” He revealed how Calista had brought a child back into his home.

At the time, Harrison shared how his youngest child was 17, other than Liam. He reveled in having the “wonderful opportunity” to be a part of a child’s upbringing, which he described as “always an endless springtime.”

The star gushed about seeing how the growing, blossoming, and nurturing were paying off. The People magazine’s 1998 Sexiest Man, Alive’s other two older sons with Marquard were Benjamin, then 40, and Willard, 39.

With Mathison, Harrison had a son Malcolm, then 21, and a daughter Georgia, then 17. When speaking about the sort of mother Calista was, the actor said she was the best in the world!

Harrison Ford, Malcolm Ford, and Calista Flockhart at Smashbox LA Fashion Week Spring in Culver City, California, on October 27, 2003 | Source: Getty Images

He explained that she was a mother by choice and took on a great responsibility when she adopted her son as a single parent. The actor noted how his wife had devoted herself to Liam and was doing a fantastic job raising him.

Harrison shared how he was pleased to be helping with the job of parenthood. However, he noted that he was “naturally” different with Liam compared to his other children because now he was a little more mature.

Calista and her husband were completely in love, and this time around, the marriage might not end in divorce. The couple was so in tune that they had activities they did together, and the actress once had the role of caretaker for Harrison.

Finding True Love and Companionship at 67
When Harrison met Calista in 2002, he wasn’t looking for love. The former explained that there were times when he felt lonely, but he didn’t want to live his life mitigating “against loneliness.”

The actress, who had allegedly dated many celebrities in her past, including comedian Garry Shandling and actor Ben Stiller, had never had an interest in Harrison before. She once confessed:

“I remember loving him in ‘Mosquito Coast,’ but I didn’t really think about him.”

Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart at HBO's Official Golden Globe Awards After Party on January 10, 2016, in Beverly Hills, California | Source: Getty Images

On the other hand, Harrison also seemingly didn’t have sights on the actress but recalled watching “Ally McBeal” once in a while before meeting Calista. However, now that they were together, she wasn’t allowing him to watch the comedy series because she didn’t like seeing herself.

In 2003, the couple opened up about the age gap between them. The actress admitted that it didn’t “faze” her, and she sometimes would forget that Harrison was 22 years older than her!

Calista said the age difference didn’t factor into their relationship in any way. Instead, the star liked how the actor looked first thing in the morning; she said he wasn’t handsome but more cute and looked like a “little boy.”

There were also conflicting stories about how the couple met. Some reports claimed that the actress threw a drink over Harrison, but he explained that she didn’t intentionally spill her glass of wine on him.

She said they conversed for around 20 minutes before the wine spilled, and Harrison was the one who did the spilling! In 2015, the couple discussed the mutual activity that they enjoyed together.

Years before, in 2003, Harrison had shared with the public that Calista loved flying. He said it thrilled him because it was important to him, as it was more fun when done with someone who enjoyed it.

The actor shared how the actress liked the process, what she saw from the air, and seeing him happy. He speculated that she enjoyed it most because she loved seeing him do something he loved.

Calista revealed that she had complete confidence in his piloting abilities. She confessed to having been a bit nervous about flying, but surprisingly, when she went to Santa Barbara with her husband for the first time, she didn’t feel any nervousness; instead, the star loved it!

Harrison Ford visits Denver to give some children an airplane ride from Centennial Airport on November 14, 2009 | Source: Getty Images

The actress believed she loved the sport because she trusted her husband, and she revealed they would take Liam flying all the time, and he loved it too! Besides flying, Calista and Harrison tried to be a giving family.

On November 21, 2007, the couple and their son, then 6 1/2, went together to assist in feeding the homeless in Los Angeles. The couple was photographed wearing Los Angeles Mission aprons as they dished up food.

The actors even wore gloves as they taught Liam about the blessing of giving back to the less fortunate. Then in 2015, tragedy struck the family when, at age 72, Calista’s husband was involved in a plane crash and suffered a nasty laceration on his face.

The actor had to be rushed to a local hospital where his wife, then 50, son Benjamin, and daughter Georgia rushed to be by his side. The actress stayed with her husband at the E.R. section of the hospital until late at night after his vintage plane crashed.

The following day, a Friday, she was photographed driving away from the hospital. Calista allegedly looked tired and was seen holding a tissue, but later that day, she returned to the hospital to be by his bedside.

Sources said the actress “looked concerned” when she arrived shortly after her husband. The following morning she allegedly drove Liam to school before returning to the hospital and remaining there to take care of Harrison.

Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 10th annual Governors Awards on November 18, 2018, in Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images

An insider described the couple and their family as normal, “super loving,” and down to Earth. The couple, who waited for over eight years before getting married, whose shared love for flying was mentioned by the source, before adding this about Harrison’s hospital stay:

“This whole thing must be terrifying.”

Ultimately, Harrison recovered from his injuries and returned to his family. The actor, his wife, and his adopted son now live on a ranch where they keep busy with various activities.

Calista and Harrison’s Quiet Life on a Farm
In August 2022, it was reported that Harrison and his family live on a Jackson Hole, Wyoming ranch. “The Fugitive” star’s home boasted 800 acres of land and was located along Snake Rover.

It was revealed that year that Harrison said he had lived there for 35 years. He even confessed that when he was in Wyoming, he had the leisure of just walking out of the door and continuing.

The farm was described as a “personal sanctuary” for the actor, his wife, and Liam. In 2020, it was revealed that Harrison split his time between his Wyoming ranch and Los Angeles home, which he shared with the “Brothers & Sisters” actress.

An undated aerial view of Harrison Ford's ranch in the Wyoming Valley outside Jackson Hole | Source: Getty Images

Besides living quietly on their properties, Calista’s husband kept busy with his career. That year he was back on the big screen starring in “The Call of the Wild,” an adaptation of the classic Jack London novel.

According to reports, the actor also used to own a home in Brentwood, California, but in 2012 he put it up for sale for $8,295,000. The property had been his home for almost 30 years when he sold it.

Harrison bought the Gerard Colcord-designed country Colonial home in June 1983 for a mere $1 million. The house was initially built in 1951, and its 7,164-square-foot space boasts four bedrooms, an additional poolside, a one-bedroom guesthouse, and two separate guest/staff suites.

He put it on the market after buying another mansion with his wife in Brentwood that cost $12.65 million. The property was described as their longtime primary residence in Los Angeles.

When on the ranch, Harrison spent his days balancing his time between doing a little work and a little play. He once revealed that when his chores were done, and there was nothing more pressing waiting for him, he liked flying when the weather was good.

The “Blade Runner” star admitted that he loved flying in Wyoming. However, sometimes he opted to walk in the woods, do some work, and ride his road or mountain bikes.

Calista’s husband also shared that he had chores given to him by his wife, and he was always working on fixing something on the property. He did the home maintenance, worked in his woodshop, or discussed putting in a new roof with some people.

When the “Air Force One” actor wasn’t doing all those things, he enjoyed spending quality time with his wife while raising Liam. In 2010, the star opened up a little about what he did with his adopted son.

Harrison [Ford] shared some things he’d learned over the years to help make his marriage last.
He revealed that he did whatever his wife and son wanted to do on weekends. Sometimes on Sunday mornings, they went hiking, or motorcycle riding, or he and Liam would make a birdhouse, which took him three days!

Speaking about his son, Calista’s husband said having a then nine-year-old child was something he hadn’t expected. The star grinned when he shared that it was also a joyful experience.

He recalled Liam was around six or eight months old when he met him and his mother; they’ve been together since! In 2020, the couple celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary.

Harrison shared some things he’d learned over the years to help make his marriage last. The “Supergirl” actress’ husband joked that it was best not to talk and nod your head.

He also hilariously admitted that he had no idea where his dry humor came from. The actor said he’d never thought about his humorous side and noted, “I see funny, I think.”

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