Blogger Template by Blogcrowds

My Memory

Originally written in 1998


If I had to think back to my earliest memory, it would be a difficult task. I have so many childhood memories that it's very hard to find the earliest one of them all. A funny anecdote is that when I was four years old I used to claim that I remembered the face of the doctor who delivered me. Who was I trying to impress you ask? I'm not too sure!

Since I have to choose one memory I guess I'll have to go with this one. I remember being wakened every morning by my mother when I was three. She'd come into my room and sit at the edge of my bed and lean over to give me a kiss. It's like she didn't want me to start out the day without me knowing that she loved me. And if I think hard enough, I can remember feeling Mom sitting on my bed even while I was still asleep. It just happened so often that I found myself aware of the smallest movement of the bed even in my sleep.

My memory isn't just about my mom waking me every morning, but what we did every morning that I'll never forget. My room had Fairy Tale wallpaper and it had pictures of all the famous storybook characters like Humpty Dumpty, the cow that jumped over the moon, and Jack and Jill just to name a few. Well, when Mom came in to wake me she would say, "Can you find the cow?", and I would smile and reach up my hand to touch the one closest to my bed and she would beat me to it. We both laughed and it became this little game to see who could touch the character first.

"Can you find Humpty Dumpty?", she would ask. Sure enough I would slowly reach my hand up to touch good ole Humpty and she would throw hers in just ahead of mine and beat me to him. I really didn't care is she beat me or not, I just thought it was fun to play.

Today my mom is 52 and just a little slower than she was twenty years ago. If we would play now I would have no trouble beating her. Funny, as I remember back to all the fun we used to have, I still think to myself, "I really don't care is she beats me, just as long as we got to play", and I think that's true.

Why do I still remember those mornings, I think it's because it was the only ten minutes in the day that mom was truly mine. That time we shared was just ours and no one else was ever invited to play along. If she called me up from home in New Orleans now and asked to play when I come home for Thanksgiving, I'd like to think she'd be able to beat me. Families are important to all of us; they're the only people we love to hate but when trouble comes, you have their back. Funny isn't it?

"Can you find your family"? If so, reach out your hand and touch them.

0 comments:

Newer Post Older Post Home