CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

Am I getting old or is it all of the time I am spending on my own these days that brings up old memories. Maybe it is a combination of both. 

It seems like there are so many things these days that trigger memories that were hidden in the back of my mind. 

I belong to a Facebook group that posts photos of the little town where I grew up in southern Ontario in Canada. It was a beautiful picture postcard town. 

The downtown was filled with local shops, restaurants, a skating rink, and a movie theater. 

It was a place of parades, dances, and swimming in nearby Lake Erie.

A war memorial carillon tower stood in front of the high school and chimed out the hours every day and Christmas carols in December. 

A river meandered through the town. Park areas surrounded the river and most days I crossed over the wooden bridges walking or riding my bicycle. In winter I bundled up and cut through the park on my way to toboggan at the golf club.

I loved going to the town's historic little library. I think I must have read every book in the children's section. 

Still to this day busloads of visitors come from all over the province to see the Christmas decorations in the park.

My home was set on two acres, which backed up to the river. What a wonderful place to play as a child. I would go down and sit under the pine trees or wander the dirt path beside the river. My parents told me there were blood suckers in the river so I never tried to go in the water. I'm not sure if that was true or if it was a way to keep us from drowning. 

We had two identical elementary schools in town, South Public and North Public. I attended North from the fifth through seventh grades. The left entrance and playground were for boys and the right entrance and playground were for girls. 

These days when I close my eyes I can see those long ago images and sometimes at night I dream of them. They are comforting to me. 

Memories light the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories of the way we were
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another for the way we were

Can it be that it was all so simple then
Or has time rewritten every line
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we?
Could we?

                                                       Barbra Streisand

I know I would love to have one day of experiencing it all again, knowing that the aroma of my mom's fresh baked chocolate chip cookies was waiting for me when I walked in the kitchen door.