Having entered the autumn season of my life, I often sit in thoughtful solitude as golden memories drift through my mind like colorful falling leaves driven by a brisk wind. I ponder each and every one, drawn into the glorious fragrance of sweet remembrances. There is comfort in the simple things, a calm in the…
Goodbye, My Friend
We were the best of friends right from the start of fourth grade at Roosevelt Elementary school in Boise, Idaho. It was September of 1962. We lived two blocks apart, so we walked to and from school every day. I lived in a quaint little yellow house shared with my parents, and she lived in a big…
Matthew
Our eyes met from across the table, and it was love at first sight. His dark brown eyes and my light blues locked. He smiled, and my heart skipped a beat. And then he asked the question that would change my world forever, “Do you want to use my scissors?” My second grade days were…
Miss Boots
She was my sweet calico kitty, possessing just as many delightful ways as she did multi-colored patterns on her beautiful fur coat. Her four white boots made it all but easy to choose an appropriate name. I loved Miss Boots right from the beginning. Mom and Dad brought her home when she was just a…
The Little Blue Record Player
Mom was all packed and ready to leave for Disneyland. She and the church choir were traveling on a big tour bus to the famous Mickey Mouse theme park to perform for several days. It was early summer of 1955, and I stood in the parking lot of the church to wave farewell as the…
Let’s Have a Picnic
My memory bank is overflowing with happy childhood recollections of the summer season. Steeped in rich tradition, picnics were celebrated with enthusiasm, good food, and lots of family. There was a peacefulness that surrounded each gathering, a contentment that made you feel good to be a part of a family that had such a great…
The Day I Became a Woman
It was a warm, Saturday morning in the summer of 1962. I sat at the kitchen table as a happy, flat-breasted twelve-year-old, eating pancakes with my family, and talking about the imminent arrival of my California cousins. I was ecstatic. Later in the day, we planned to gather for a mini family reunion, and a…
A Better Tomorrow
She slipped quietly from her bed and dressed in the pre-dawn darkness, her fingers fumbling with the small buttons on the waistband of her blue, handmade skirt. Never before had she experienced such a myriad of emotions; excitement, fear, happiness, uncertainty. Today, her life would change forever. In just a few hours, she and her…
Tell Me a Story
My mother loved to read, and I was often the happy recipient of her uncanny ability to bring a story to life. I would sit comfortably on her lap or plopped cross-legged on the floor in front of her chair to be whisked away to a faraway magical land. The Velveteen Rabbit. I was completely…
Home Sweet Home
I took a peaceful stroll through my neighborhood and by my childhood home for what I thought would be a lighthearted trip down memory lane. Needless to say, I was heartbroken to see that a construction team was busy tearing down walls and rearranging the lot. My look of dismay obviously didn’t go unnoticed, and one of…
Keeper of Memories
The old house was nothing at all like what she had described to me through the years. From her vivid recollections, I saw in my mind a lovely, well-kept home with spacious rooms and beautiful furnishings. According to her, it was a glorious place that remained alive with the laughter of children and happy conversation around the kitchen…
“Is That You, Frosty?”
In retrospect, I should have gone with my intuition and declined her request for a special favor. Grandma Milburn was a sweet little lady in the church and it was always difficult for me to refuse her. Of course, Grandma knew that. Grandma had a green parakeet named Frosty. He was an arrogant bird, prattling…
Field of Memories 