Memory List
Saturday morning cartoons, (Crusader Rabbit, Rocky andBullwinkle) and shows like “Fury”, “Sky King” “Roy Rogers”.
The Flintstones….Friday nights at 7:30, followed by “I’m Dickens, He’s Fenster.”
Waking up in my room on a spring morning, with the windows open and the smell of Lilacs wafting in.
Going to sleep with the sound of crickets and the train whistle, both coming from the woods behind the house.
The smell of frying onions for spaghetti sauce. (I haven’t made my Mom’s spaghetti sauce in years. The secret ingredient was sugar.) The smell of coffee. There was always a pot of coffee on in my parents’ kitchen.
The smell of fresh cigarette, cigar or pipe tobacco. Most people think that the smell of cigarette smoke is gross, but it reminds me of my Dad, and I like it.
Building a raft down by the brook in Jones’s back yard. It was only April, and Mom came down to see what we were doing. I could see that we weren’t really in any trouble, even though we were soaked to the skin from head to toe.
Ice skating on that same brook.
Snow days, when the snow was up to my hips. Mom would take a table into the living room and we’d have breakfast by the fire.
Waiting for my summer “Weekly Reader” to come in the mail.
Riding my bike through driveways and yards in the neighborhood.
Delivering the Sunday paper with Dad and my brother, then going to the Alpine Bakery for coffee cake, crumb buns, doughnuts and hard rolls. (It does seem like an awful lot of my happy memories are food related.)
Lord, please tell my Mom and Dad that I love them, and I’m grateful for everything they did for me.
Sometime ago Steve and I were talking about how life seems to get sadder as we age. I guess that’s unavoidable when you’re fortunate to have as happy a childhood as I did. We lose people, we lose our health, our independence. But I want to see all of the blessings that are mine; and not to have think about it, but to understand fully how blessed I am, just as fully as I understand that life on earth is difficult, and often sad.
youonlyhavetogetthrutoday 
Nice. Very nice. thanks.
Just saying hi! đ I’ve been reading, but haven’t had a chance to really process and comment. Love the pics with this post!
Hi Beth! The pics are practically tin types, hahaha. Thank you thank you thank you for reading. Means lots to me. :0)
makes me want to ensure my daughter has a list like that when she is grown up.
This is such a lovely idea and an even lovelier list. I had forgotten all about Weekly Readers!
Ah yes, sugar does make the sauce….and the beef stew đ
Reading this reminded me of childhood visits to your home. You were the only person I knew who had a canopy bed… I was utterly captivated đ
Amy…do you know where that picture was taken?
Liberty Corner, in my backyard?
Yup. :0) I think we were having a Seeing Eye Puppy Club meeting.
[…] to remind myself everyone and everything has a story to tell. One terrific idea comes from Jane at youonlyhavetogetthrutoday: write a Memory List. When I first read Jane’s list, I was struck by how many of her memories […]
Thank you, Lisa!