I do remember

 Remember when your only cares were dinner and the weather? As a kid, you watched your siblings do chores while you watched Mighty Mouse on the black-and-white television, walking home from school, inhaling aromas from nearby kitchens. Your house fitting right in. Walking up the driveway, you smelled freshly baked bread—your mom’s perfect timing. She always had a slice of warm bread and butter ready, sometimes a jelly-filled treat made from leftover dough that you still taste today.

Remember building soapbox derby cars with Dad, something you eagerly awaited? Even if your wheel fell off halfway down the hill, you cherished the rare time together. I remember seeing him as my hero, the man who served his country, and how proud I was seeing him in uniform with the medals pinned to his shirt. I look back and realize he was only in his Twenties back then, and so was I when I served my country.

Remember when Mom and Dad had a date night, and my sisters and I went to Grandma's house, where cookies were baked, and games were played. We spent the night camped out in homemade tents in the living room and woke to the smell of pancakes coming from the kitchen. Sleepy eyes in pajamas, watching her squeeze oranges into a glass picture that my sister still has today.

I remember many yesterdays and the happiness of being a kid, dreaming of becoming a superhero who, with his plastic sword, would rid the world of villains. I remember Sunday drives, singing songs as the summer winds blew in your face, stuck outside the car window, your cheeks flapping to the delight of your sisters. Stopping alongside the road for a picnic, and if Dad had a couple of bucks, a stop for ice cream.

Remember when you blinked, and the child in you went away, leaving behind memories you cherish to this day and the blessing of being able to remember them. Life is short, and before you know it, those wrinkles come with age, not flapping in the summer breeze. You look back with wonder that you survived this long, recalling the trouble that sometimes found you. And yes, you have a few regrets, as the good outweighed the not-so-good, and if you had it to do over, you probably would.

I live for my memories, some as clear as a country stream and others daring me to remember them in bits and pieces. I smile when a new one introduces itself, and I remember.

Mike 2026