I Hope She Remembers

If grandmas hadn’t existed, kids would have inevitably invented them.

Arthur Kornhaber, M.D.

“Remember that time . . . “

”Grandma, you always say . . . “

My memory is not as sharp as it once was; I feel it—keenly sometimes.

Hers, on the other hand, is razor-sharp. Camp G and G is an opportunity to craft and plant memories that she can take with her into the future.

I hope she remembers tiptoeing into our bedroom in the morning, Grandpa opening her arms to welcome her, then crawling into our king sized bed where Grandpa passes her a pillow and grandma asks her how she slept.

I hope she remembers spending cool mornings in the garden, helping and contributing to the effort, and enjoying freshly picked rewards.

I hope she remembers standing on the deck chatting and munching on kale chips, picked an hour ago and fresh from the oven.

I hope she remembers a grandfather who is always up for some fun and a grandmother who, with amusement, sometimes reigns these crazy two in.

I hope she remembers endless games of charades, and hide and seek, and Qwirkle, and KGT (Kamloops’s Got Talent); and simple things like skipping ropes and sidewalk chalk and fairy gardens.

I hope she remembers playing with the dolls that her grandmother played with as a child.

I hope she remembers the plays she writes, the performances we put on, and—where modern day intersects—the video recordings she makes of them.

I hope she remembers the questions we talk over as we enjoy the evening meal: What was the best part of your day? What kind thing did you do for someone today? What kind thing did someone do for you today? What are you thankful for today?  And so on.

I hope she remembers the nights we cuddle on the sofa watching a movie before we curl up together in her bed (a bed that once belonged to her great-grandparents) and read a chapter or two.

I hope she remembers, and that it becomes implanted deep within her, that her grandparents love her very much and are always in her corner cheering her on.

I hope the life lessons we talk about as we go about our day take hold and gift her with wisdom in the future.

I hope that knowing she is treasured and loved gives her confidence to walk strong along her chosen path as she grows.

These are just a few of the many things I hope when I look at the face of this precious and precocious girl.