(Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection - Letter to the Editor)

Do you ever remember back to when you were a child, and think about what meant the most to you? I can remember things about time with my grandparents and a great aunt and great uncle. My dad’s mother let me eat homemade french fries with a glass of pop as a meal in the 50s. That was a big deal. At home, I guess, they always insisted I have meat and milk with my vegetables. My great aunt was a good cook. After church on Sunday I would go have dinner with them. She taught me how to cook some of her recipes, which I cook for my grandchildren. Now that I’m thinking about it, probably over half my memories involve food.

I love spending time with my children and grandchildren. You guessed it, a lot of the things we do together involve food. The grandchildren love for me to cook grilled cheese sandwiches or lasagna for them. When my daughter’s children stay overnight, they love when I make a big breakfast for them. Sometimes we cook together.

Neighbor children have come to visit and play. They like to cook with me also. One neighbor who just turned 22 today started coming over when she was about 8 years old. Now her young brother, who is only 6, calls and asks if he can come over to play. When their grown cousin started visiting at age 3 he would ask, “Can we do kitchen crafts today?” He liked to eat here.

As I was leaving a restaurant this evening, a young woman spoke to me. She said she had seen my husband ahead of me. She remembered his name even. I saw her son beside her and asked how old he was now. She said he was 8 and that he still had the quilt I had made for his baby shower.

A friend, more of an acquaintance actually, I worked near in the mall had invited me to her wedding. Afterwards we didn’t stay in touch but I saw her out a while back. She came over to speak to me and said she remembered how I had jumped in to help at her reception because she was trying to do it all herself. She also told me how she treasured the impromptu pictures I had taken for her. One in particular I had taken of her daughter sitting on the piano bench, she had framed.

You never know what will end up being a favorite memory to the people around you. We share time with others. We make memories with others. Some of those memories will last long after we are gone. Tell young people what you remember from years ago of family and friends. Especially tell them of the relatives they will never get to meet in person. That is how we live on, in the minds and hearts of the ones we “share,” not spend, time with. It may not seem important when you are doing things together but years from now it may be what defines you, what makes you memorable and lovable. Call or visit someone and maybe make memories together today.

Bonita (Bonnie) Eaton

Vienna