Don't be confused... I am not referring to an inconsequential or unimportant memory - merely a small one!
What do I mean? Well, this term came to me just as I flashed back to an image of a chain link storage room. At first I didn't even know what it was I was thinking of; but as I began to explore this memory in my mind, I realized that I was actually envisioning the storage room in the basement at my grandparents' apartment in Edwardsville. It was a small apartment house (only 4 units in the building) and I was very young, but the memory became so clear.
Upon further reflection, I recall their apartment right down to the green couch and the linoleum on the kitchen floor. I would spend countless hours there with my grandma & (step)grandpa (hereto referred to as "Grandpa") - and for whatever reason, this storage unit popped into my head from nowhere.
I have many memories of spending time with them and I cherish them all... even the silly little things. I remember sitting at the lake with a fishing pole in my hand while Grandpa sipped from his can of Falstaff Beer, teaching me the fine art of putting a worm on a hook. I remember when I was 8; Grandma would give me $1 and send me walking to Farm Fresh to buy her cigarettes and letting me keep the change. Yes, that's right 8 YEARS OLD - & I COULD BUY CIGARETTES --- AND HAVE CHANGE LEFT OVER!!! I often wonder what they would think about things if they were alive today.
My grandma was widowed before I was born, and she met the man I learned to love and call "Grandpa" when I was a toddler. He was so special to me though I only knew him for a short time... he died when I was in second grade. In just a few short years, he created memories with me that I now know will last a lifetime!
My grandparents have both been gone for more than 3 (or in his case almost 4) decades and I have a granddaughter of my own now. I hope someday she looks back at the everyday moments we spend together and realize that those are the special memories that she can carry with her forever.
It's memories like this that put things back into perspective for me when I feel like I need to "spoil" her with material things... in the end it's the love that is remembered - and cherished.
So, what I am trying to say is that it doesn't take a lot of money or talent to create a special memory, but time together with those you love... In the end, the small memories actually become big ones!
What do I mean? Well, this term came to me just as I flashed back to an image of a chain link storage room. At first I didn't even know what it was I was thinking of; but as I began to explore this memory in my mind, I realized that I was actually envisioning the storage room in the basement at my grandparents' apartment in Edwardsville. It was a small apartment house (only 4 units in the building) and I was very young, but the memory became so clear.
Upon further reflection, I recall their apartment right down to the green couch and the linoleum on the kitchen floor. I would spend countless hours there with my grandma & (step)grandpa (hereto referred to as "Grandpa") - and for whatever reason, this storage unit popped into my head from nowhere. I have many memories of spending time with them and I cherish them all... even the silly little things. I remember sitting at the lake with a fishing pole in my hand while Grandpa sipped from his can of Falstaff Beer, teaching me the fine art of putting a worm on a hook. I remember when I was 8; Grandma would give me $1 and send me walking to Farm Fresh to buy her cigarettes and letting me keep the change. Yes, that's right 8 YEARS OLD - & I COULD BUY CIGARETTES --- AND HAVE CHANGE LEFT OVER!!! I often wonder what they would think about things if they were alive today.
My grandma was widowed before I was born, and she met the man I learned to love and call "Grandpa" when I was a toddler. He was so special to me though I only knew him for a short time... he died when I was in second grade. In just a few short years, he created memories with me that I now know will last a lifetime!
My grandparents have both been gone for more than 3 (or in his case almost 4) decades and I have a granddaughter of my own now. I hope someday she looks back at the everyday moments we spend together and realize that those are the special memories that she can carry with her forever.
It's memories like this that put things back into perspective for me when I feel like I need to "spoil" her with material things... in the end it's the love that is remembered - and cherished.
So, what I am trying to say is that it doesn't take a lot of money or talent to create a special memory, but time together with those you love... In the end, the small memories actually become big ones!
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