Thursday, July 21, 2005

What's Your First Memory?

What is your first real memory? Is it happy or sad? Do you remember it as a visual or emotional memory?

Looking back, I think my first real memory is of a rainy day, probably in 1967. My mom was driving me and my brothers around in her baby blue Volkswagen bug. It was raining and I was strapped in my car seat (a metal and vinyl contraption, rather primitive and dangerous by today's standards). I had my blue and white polka dotted elephant stuck under my arm and I was "reading" my favorite book, a very colorful book about a grey mouse, a purple monkey and a pink elephant in a green jungle (man, I wish I knew what book that was!). I seem to remember looking out the window and babbling about my book, my elephant and the rain. I don't remember much more than that visual picture, but when I remember it, I have a sense of contentedness, so I must have been a happy girl that day.

When pull this memory out of my heart's scrapbook, look at it and see how I acted, I see so much of Sweet Girl in there. Sometimes, watching her is like watching myself grow up. It makes me wonder what the earliest memory she'll recall in later years will be. I hope it is happy.

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