Do You Remember…?

What happens to you when the seasons change? I’m not talking about getting out the summer clothes, taking down the Christmas lights and things like that. Is there any change inside you?

For me, no matter which season is beginning and which is ending, I feel a mixture of hope and nostalgia. I remember the seasons of years past as I hope for a wonderful new season this year. I notice that as I’ve gotten older the things I look forward to are different. I don’t care so much about a parade and a picnic and fireworks on the 4th of July, for example. I hope for decent weather and that the kids will call.

Spring is here (we hope!) after a long and unusual winter and I find myself remembering going to visit my grandparents in North Dakota for the 4th of July and eating my grandmother’s home-grown lettuce with her delicious home-made dressing. I’ve planted a head of lettuce in my garden here and can hardly wait to harvest some and make that yummy dressing. I guess spring and July 4th are intertwined, all because of memories about lettuce.

Recently I had to prepare remarks for my mother’s memorial service, and of course that brought forth a lot of memories. What was interesting was that my sister’s remarks were so different and brought forth a different set of memories even though we grew up in the same household and were talking about the same woman. Preparing the slideshow and going through old photographs evoked still more memories. It also reminded me how much I don’t know about some of my family’s past. There were pictures I’d never seen of my mother or my grandparents.

Do you enjoy memories? Have you shared them with your kids, nieces, nephews, or other people important to you? Do it now while you can. Write them, video record them, just sit and talk about them. They’re priceless.