Startling Reality

Sometimes I get this startling reality check! It happened last week end when we visited my family in AR. It still feels so strange to be an over night visitor in the house I called home all my life! The startling thing though, was realizing suddenly that for my children, being there is the same as my memories of Grandpa Gingeriches. We often stayed at Grandpas when we visited IN. I can picture their house clearly - feel the feeling of arriving after traveling all day. I can picture the toys and taste the chili soup. I can feel the bedspreads and the quiet cleanness of each room. I can hear Grandpa asking a question and listening carefully because his hearing required hearing aids. I can see Grandma sitting quietly in her rocker. Sometimes it still startles me that I'm the Mom in this equation now, and it's my children memorizing the sights, smells and feeling of Grandpa's! There's a pang of sadness at the reality of Change, but there's a warmth in knowing my children's memories will be as sweet as mine!