Keeping Memories Alive

When people you love leave this earth, it is incredibly hard. My mom loved to garden and she especially loved the flower called white alyssum. I plant it in prominent places every spring. It’s a gentle reminder, and every time I look at it, I remember that she is always in my heart. It is also special to tell my grandkids that this was my mom’s favorite flower. It’s just a way to keep the memories alive.

Bobby died when my grandkids were two or under. Yet a couple of them knew “Bob Bob” really well. He would drive them in the golf cart, give them rough-and-tumble horsey rides on his knees, and even when the cancer was getting to him, get on the floor and bark like a dog at these little ones, and they would run away and giggle. We had customized some mugs for Bob for Christmas with photos of him hugging the grandkids. Now I pull out those mugs and serve a cereal treat or little cookies in them, and I remind the kids that these are Bob Bob’s special treat mugs. They always get excited (what little kid doesn’t get excited for Cap’n Crunch or mini cookies?), and seeing the photos helps to keep Bob Bob alive in their little heads. That is special for all of us.