Notes from a Writer's Heart
It's time for another page from my book, Notes from a Writer's Heart, and this week I thought I'd share a story about mealtime, since my last post was about the Family Dinner.
Mealtime can bring about memories (hopefully good ones!), especially the food that's associated with certain events. In this story, Memories and Meals, I share certain foods that were staples in my life and the event or person they remind me of.
Memories and Meals
Saturdays hold memories of tuna sandwiches
and sloppy joes that mom used to make.
She also made a great pot of spaghetti.
Filed trips hold memories of peanut butter and jelly on white,
one canned soda wrapped in foil to stay cold,
and a brown paper bag.
Dad's house holds memories
of sloppy joes made from scratch,
homemade fries cooked in oil, a big pot of beans,
macaroni and cheese, salad with French dressing
and whatever meat dad brought home
from his hunting trip.
Summers hold fizzy cokes in Tupperware tumblers
at Aunt Susie's house, always accompanied by
homemade chocolate chip cookies.
Trips to the lake and summer nights outside
hold memories of cans of Shasta soda and homemade peach
ice cream churned by my stepmom, Ruby.
And as always...
Saturdays were for donuts.
Nothing like the memory of a meal
to remind you what
love tasted like.
Obviously my memories of "meals" included a lot of soda and treats too! But the memories are all attached to people I love and the good times we had. Isn't it funny the things that stick out in your mind's past?
I loved the consistency of the meals my mom fixed. She had her favorites and they became our favorites too.
When I would visit my dad, Ruby would indulge my love of her homemade sloppy joes and she never once said she would rather fix something else.
In the summer, when I would stay with my Aunt Susie, I can remember the coke being poured into the Tupperware tumbler and having to stop to let the fizz settle, before pouring the rest up to the top. Little things that stick with you are priceless later on. They help you relive regular moments, that should have been long forgotten.
Going on field trips for school and opening the brown paper bag, then unwrapping the canned soda from the foil insulator, always held such a thrill. It was probably just the excitement of being out of school, on an adventure, but the memories are still the same.
The same with going to the lake or sitting on the back porch churning ice cream. The food was the bonus, but the real thrill was the adventure and the people I was with.
Food, meals, memories...they hold such strong places in our minds and in our hearts.
Thanks for taking time to read my story. I hope you were reminded of some special meals or treats in your own life. If so, share that memory with someone today. I think you'll find there is such blessing in sharing your stories.
Until Next Time...
Blessings!
