Things I Loved When a Child

“How fast childhood passes and memories are what we cling to in our later years, and how few and fleeting those memories. They are to be treasured.”

c e hollis

1. My daddy. I thought he was the greatest hero, the best, sweetest, smartest and most good looking of all daddies. I’m still pretty sure I was right.
2. My blue Schwinn bicycle that Dad bought for me at a hardware store. It was shiny and beautiful and I think it cost 49 dollars.
3. Red licorice strings that the gas station man gave to each of us when Dad bought gas.
4. Trilliums blooming in the woods. We picked huge bundles of them, still there were millions more.
5. Fried chicken––each crispy piece wrapped in a slice of buttered bread.
6. Mama baking orange rolls and drizzling the tops with powdered sugar icing.
7. Milkweed pods full of seed attached to tiny wonderful parachutes.
8. Bumpy sour apple gumballs that cost one penny.
9. Bible camp at Center Lake in Michigan.
10. Crayola Crayons sixty-four pack, especially the ones with names like periwinkle blue.
11. The river gliding in dark swirls under the old wood bridge.
12. The bookmobile sleek and blue parked by the school playground.
13. The World Book Childcraft set Mama bought for us when we were little.
14. Mama sprouting budded sticks in early spring that turned out to be soft pussy willow branches.
15. Climbing into the apple tree to read a Nancy Drew Mystery and sucking on a sour apple.
16. Easter sunrise service and pancake breakfast.
17. Swinging on my rope and board swing.
18. Pitchers of daffodils on the dining room table for meals.
19. Fresh whole cold milk.
20. My first little white Bible engraved with my name and with Jesus’s words printed in red.
21. Sitting on the rail fence and listening to whipporwills calling in the cool night air.