This visit back to the United States has been full of poignant memories, thoughts that have come flooding back without any warning or provocation. Small things that are quite innocent and that - on an ordinary day - contain very little keepsake value and really, aren't even worth mentioning.
Except that for me, it was a concrete reminder that even though we have created a home in Delhi, a home that likely will not be visited by our children as adults, it is still my responsibility to form lasting memories and moments that will jolt their recall ability with thoughts of "oh, I remember ..."
For example :
This pitcher has always contained orange juice. For as long as I can remember .... during my 34 years of existence. There is never even a need to check under the lid to make sure what flavor of juice. It's just always been Orange Juice.
Dollhouse and Legos
I cannot believe that I didn't get a photo of these two things, so my description will have to do. A couple of weeks ago, Mia asked me where the Barbies were that I used to play with.
I looked at her strangely and said "I have no idea what happened to them." About an hour later, she asked again, "Mama, where did your Barbies go from when you were little?" I have no idea where this line of questioning was coming from, but she quickly explained that I *should* have kept them for her, to play with while SHE was a little girl.
Fast forward to arriving at Grandma's house and finding my dollhouse from when I was a little girl ... that Grandma DID save for Mia to play with. We added a couple of new miniatures (a grand piano, a chandelier and some Christmas lights) and Mia played with the dollhouse to her heart's content. It was left at Grandma's house and one day, hopefully, Mia will add it to her collection of things -- quite possibly to save for HER little girl to play with.
The lego box that Terran collected as a rugrat is also still at Grandma's house. I wouldn't be surprised if some of those parts belonged to MY brothers and gave Terran a jumpstart. Tony dug into that box like it was Christmas. A sweet moment was hearing Terran tell Tony that when he leaves for college, that Tony would be gifted with HIS box of legos that currently resides in Delhi.
Dinner Bells
Grandma has always had a collection of bells to ring just before dinnertime. My siblings and I got to take turns ringing the bell when it was time to gather around the table. We brought her a bell from India during our recent visit, and added it to her collection.
Little Missy being frustrated because she didn't get the bell she wanted.
What things do you have in your homes that you will keep for your children to remember their childhood? What things have you kept of yours to pass down to them? What collections do you have and treasure?
