T is for Time

Time passes so quickly. Sometimes all we’re left with are our memories. I’ve enjoyed this A to Z Challenge because I’ve gone back in time to take another look. While looking back, I’ve wanted to ask my parents, my grandparents specific questions. Too late now. Sure makes me wish I’d kept a journal all my life. I always tried but had no follow-through when it came to journaling. Tape recorders were another matter.

When I was younger, early teens, I think, my most prized possession was a reel to reel tape recorder. I took phrases from records and created advertisements, skits and interviews. I spent hours in my bedroom, creating.  That huge, heavy green tape recorder was the most wonderful Christmas present I’d ever received. And it cost a hundred dollars. At least that’s what my parents told me. I was amazed they would spend that much money on me. I wish I could remember if I asked for it or if they saw it and knew I’d love it. At any rate, eventually, I wore it out and we gave it to ‘the twins’ because they “worked” on things and said they could fix it. Remember the twins from I is for Iva? I never saw that tape recorder again. Today, I have several: three small digital and a couple of cassette ones so yeah, I still have a thing for tape recorders.

Once I recorded my Arkansas grandfather telling his “life” story. He loved to talk and didn’t mind speaking into the microphone. Oddly, I have no pictures of me with my grandparents. That makes me sad—to have pictures of them but not with them.

When I was small, we didn’t travel to grandparent’s homes to celebrate Christmas. My dad’s family lived right across the pasture from us; my mother’s parent’s lived in Arkansas. We visited them once a year—twice at the very most. When my husband and I moved to Louisiana, we made certain our kids saw their grandparents no less than once a month and all holidays. We wanted them to know their grandparents well, have relationships with them, and have their own memories.  

Do you have fond memories of grandparents or did time and distance keep you away from them? If they’re still alive, take the time to talk with them, record their stories, and take pictures.