Tuesday, November 16, 2010

A Memory or Two

Do you ever get a feeling or a memory that you wish you could explain, but no amount of explanation would ever do it justice? A memory that makes you get a little twinge of sentimentality?

I had one of those today.

As I looked at this photo today, courtesy of Coastal Living, I had a flood of memories come into my mind. Memories of the beach, my childhood, and my family.

When I look at this photo I am 9 years old again. I can smell the ocean wind coming through the screen door. I can feel the sticky humidity on my skin as I walk outside, and the cool, dry blast of air conditioning as I come in. I can hear my family all around me, and I can see my brothers already running out to the beach to see who can jump in the water first. I can hear the North Carolina accents of my grandparents. I can see Grandaddy Roger sitting on the porch rocking chair, reading, thinking, looking and being.

I see the starfish in the window and I think of a sand dollar; they look similar you know. I remember the time I accidentally bit into a sand dollar that I spent hours trying to find. Sand dollars were the treasure of every summer. I remember crying about it because I was embarrassed, and because they are very hard to find.

When I look at the basket hanging on the door I think of the lunches GranBonnie used to pack for our days at the beach. She always made pimento cheese sandwiches--and none of the children ever ate them. I remember the smell perfectly. There were always Goldfish crackers in that basket. Grandaddy Roger always bought us a great big carton full of them.

When I see the mug on the table I think of the smell of coffee in the morning. I always knew that it wasn't good for me to drink, but I sure did love that smell.

For a moment, when I see the rock on the table I think of another memory from another place; I was with my dad along a river bank. I found a beautiful rock that I kept with me to always remind me of that special time I could spend with him; just the two of us. 

I'm grateful today to be able to remember wonderful times with people that I love so much. These memories are such a treasure to me.

1 comment:

  1. I love this Rach. You are an amazing writer! I felt like I was right there in those memories with ya! :)

    ReplyDelete