I have such wonderful memories of my grandparents’ house. We used to spend so much time there, and one of my favorite things to do was explore their basement. We had to go into the garage and down steps to get down into it. There was a bathroom with an old sign that said 5 cents for toilet paper. My grandmother’s wedding dress was hanging in a clear plastic bag. There were also sorts of treasures. I also loved going through my mom’s childhood bedroom. I once found a little toy in a drawer that became my favorite toy of all time. It was a little troll with orange hair – I called him “mumfy.”
I also loved visiting my grandparents in Miami, Florida. As a toddler, I used to call it “gramma’s-ami.” They had an 8th floor apartment with a terrace that looked out over the pool, a golf course, and way out to the ocean. My grandpa used to show us how to look through his binoculars and we could sometimes see a boat on the water. He also used to whistle down to us if we were at the pool without, to tell us that lunch was ready (he had a very specific whistle for anytime he needed our attention or we got separated). Lunch was often a peanut butter, honey and banana sandwich. Yum!
I was fortunate as a kid to have been able to attend summer camp and youth group. Some of my memories from CSL and BBYO are some of my favorites – canoe trips during senior camper year, conventions where we stayed at each other’s homes, and so much more. And I’ve been able to re-live some of those times a bit, working at the summer camp that my own kids attend.
My children have provided their own incredible moments for me as a mom, and I hope they’ll always hang onto special childhood memories. Evening walks as a family, laugh until you cry tickle fests, watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Met’s Hansel & Gretel as they sang and danced along, long drives to visit their grandparents, two trips to Israel, playing in central park, signing together, going to camp during staff week, and whatever they each remember as most special.
We all grow up or grow old too quickly, it seems, so it’s helpful to try living in the moment, really enjoying each and every moment, so those times become special memories to hold onto forever.