Magical Memories

As I remember it, the first time I visited my grandparents without my parents, I tasted apple juice for the first time. I had to be around three. It was the most amazing thing I had tasted up to that point. A lot of tastes in life take me back there: oatmeal cream pies, root beer, Cornish hens, and watermelon.

Grandparent houses are always a magical place, I suppose, but mine was even more so because they had a whole bookstore attached to their house. When I was tired of climbing trees, or watching their color tv, I could go look at the books. I still have shelves full of books that I got from their store.

For the past 4+ decades, living across three continents and changing where I call home every few years, it has also been an anchor. Many memories from all throughout my life live there and when I go back, while details have changed, I can find tangible connections to the past.

At the center of it all are my grandparents themselves. A godly couple who were a great example for the many generations that they leave behind. I will miss their place on a nostalgic level, but the beauty of the hope that I have is that I won’t have to miss them forever.