Day 1 of Slice of Life Challenge
I woke up this morning feeling a little sad that I was back from a trip to visit my Grandma. It was great to see her, spend time with her and help my family out also. But, it was difficult in the same breath. My Grandma suffers from Alzheimer's Disease and talking with her gets harder and harder for me and more frustrating for her. The wonderful thing though is that so far (knock on wood) she's retaining memories from long ago. So when we visit we usually fall back on those beloved, treasured moments she does remember.
One of my fondest memories of visiting my Grandma when I was little was when we got to go to Eat N Park for dinner. At the end of the meal I would be allowed to get the FAMOUS Smiley Cookie. I'm talking amazing stuff here people! Of course, I would always ask for the purple icing because purple is my favorite color.
On this most recent trip I wanted to honor this memory and have something that could bring this memory to the forefront of my mind. I bought a Smiley Face Cookie travel mug. So after waking up a little sad I poured the happy nectar of coffee into my travel mug and a smile stretched across my face of those happy memories of times with Grandma.
I think memories sustain us, even in the sad times. I have an old tea mug from my great-grandmother that still reminds me of her, even though she passed away decades ago.
ReplyDeleteKevin
Loved the story, loved the pic, loved thinking about my found memories.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Tony
OMG...the Smiley Face cookies are the best! They're the only thing I miss since moving back to Ohio. In October, we took a family weekend over to Pittsburgh and brought 2 dozen back for our freezer. I want the Smiley Face travel mug now! Oh...how do you get the live traffic feed on your blog?
ReplyDeleteI saw an old picture recently of my grandmother, with my younger sister and I marvelled at how young and healthy she was in the picture, a far cry from the grandma I knew later, her body riddled with the ravages of cancer and its various treatments. But even in those later years of illness, her positivity and strength remained her defining characteristics and it is that my sisters and I hold on to.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you wrote about your grandma, even though it is probably tough to get the words out. I find these are often the most treasured kind of slices. You inspire me to be brave in my writing. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHappy writing,
Ruth
Thanks for sharing this great story about your grandmother. Those funny, funky little memories are so powerful. It's wonderful that you found that mug to use a reminder of something special that you shared with her.
ReplyDeleteGuess what? My husband brought me back the travel mug from a business trip. What a great treat after a stressful week at home...you are are my MENTOR! Keep Smiling!
ReplyDelete