Gratitude brings a shift in consciousness. It can literally change your neural pathways to allow you to feel happiness more easily. I hope that these posts inspire you to think of your own: Ten Things of Thankful!
A Facebook friend, thank you Shelly Altman, posted a picture of The Forum Cafeteria, which brought up a treasure trove of memories.
1. On Friday nights I would often have a sleepover at my grandparents. In a family of 4 kids, soon to be 5, I loved getting plenty of individual attention from two loving and kind people.
2. It was quiet, a true luxury coming from a big, loud family.
3. I could read as much as I wanted to, usually sinking down in a big comfy chair or in the hammock on the front porch. Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew were my go-to’s.
4. Saturday mornings my grandmother (Baubie) and I would catch the bus on the corner to Downtown. It has to be capitalized because it was that important. Her friends and neighbors would be on the bus and I loved listening to their conversations. Looking back I remember thinking how old they all were and now I realize that I’m 10 years older then they were!
5. The first thing we would do is go to The Forum Cafeteria for lunch. It was an incredibly beautiful art deco landmark where a full meal was $1.29, including dessert.
6. Next to The Forum was The Nankin. But those adventures won’t start for another ten years.
6. Lunch was always fun, but the real purpose of the trip came next. Right in the middle of downtown Minneapolis was our own little neighborhood. We would walk out of the restaurant’s big front doors and there was Badiner Jewelry store. We would visit with our extended family who owned the shop and with their extended family who officed in the basement.
7. What I didn’t know was that my future husband was usually there on Saturday mornings too. The extended family who officed there? He was Bob’s next door neighbor and the father of his best friend. All of those years that our paths crossed and we never met.
8. My favorite memory: As we left the store and started crossing the street, the light changed. My grand started getting nervous so I put my arm through the crook of hers and started to gently guide her across: Come on, Baubie, you can do it! We were both laughing like crazy by the time we got there. I was about 10 and this was the first time that I had been called on to help her. It felt really good.
9. Our next stop, Greeting Card Center, owned by her son, my Uncle Barney. They sold all of the tricks that a young aspiring magician could dream of. My Auntie Sally and cousin Gary would often be there too. And again, little did I know that it was a favorite destination for my future husband.
10. I felt truly loved.
Lovely memories – thank you for sharing!
Have a wonderful birthday!
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Thank you, Tamara!
Your memories were a real pick me up. I loved your mention of grandparents. We are truly grateful for them.
Love you, mom!
Victoria, what an extraordinary sharing. What a rich gift to have so many relatives who were friendly with each other. And a weekly field trip. I am sure you know now how rare that was. Thanks for a great post!
Thanks, Kebba. I know that I was fortunate to have them in my life.
What wonderful memories with your grandparents. This sounds like Lia’s mom when she had sleep overs with us when she was younger. We really didn’t go anywhere, her and her brother were happy to help pop in the garden, baking and just hanging around. It’s now the same way with Lia, I hope the memories stay with Lia as they did with her mom. She still talks about the fun times!
When you see and feel real love as a child, you won’t settle for less as an adult. I think that’s the real gift that you’re giving Lia.
I love this story! I like thinking back to our family gatherings when I was a child. Sometimes I wish we recorded everything then like we do right now. Memories fade,,,
And ironically, I was just thinking about Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew yesterday as I was creating a reel for my author Instagram page.
Thank you, Dominique! I loved reading about strong independent girls, even before I knew what that meant.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our brains would bring up happy memories instead of bad or embarrassing ones!
Great post!
Hi Diane. That is the exact reason that I started doing 10 Things of Thankful. By focusing on the good things, I remember more of them and it has truly helped bring me a much needed balance.
Such lovely memories. I can imagine you on that bus do clearly every taking in everything around you and being affected by it.
Every so often I’ll run into grandchildren and greatgrands of the women on that bus. I’m truly in awe of spending time with those women.