Friday Flashback: a home to remember

For some reason today,

I was thinking about the neighborhood

Momo & Popo (my grandparents) used to live in.

...and that got me to thinking

 about how I won't ever see their house again.

I know that's such a sad thought.

I guess that's part of the grieving process.

Just little things like this pop up every once in a while.

I will miss the house that I lived in for a year or so

when I was 2.

My memories from that time period include

stomping ants out on their front sidewalk,

chasing down the ice cream truck,

loving the big old dog that used to come up to the screendoor,

sitting on Popo's lap and rubbing his beard, or shaven face,

watching Momo wash up & cut up strawberries,

cracking nuts at Christmastime,

but my fondest memory is very specific.

During the middle of the night one night

I woke up and started playing with my toys.

At 2 years of age, I'm pretty sure this would've

warranted a "typical" parenting response,

that is if my parents had known about it.

However, they didn't. :)

You know why?

Because Momo got up in the middle of the night,

sat in my room with me,

and let me play with my toys quietly.

lol.

She was a sweet grandma, that's for sure.

(Me with Momo the last time I saw her)

I'll miss other time periods of spending time there,

like every summer, spending a couple days & nights

over there getting extra spoiled, just me.

Like playing card games, Scrabble, and board games

into the night every Friday night. And ordering pizza

from Pizza Hut under our last name, not my grandparent's,

because that's how much we ordered pizza there. Ha!

Like sitting in their living room pouring over old photo albums,

and asking who each one was, and what their story was.

Or playing the organ for them, and having them clap for me.

They were my biggest fans,

Popo especially liked when I'd play his favorite song of all time,

"Nola". A really old jazz piece from his era.

I blew the organ up, by the way... it started smoking one time,

and wouldn't play ever after that!

Like looking at the Peoria book, and hearing Popo's stories

about when he was a boy, and would ride the trolley all day

on Saturdays for something to do.

Like having a "Momo Party",

which always included packets of M&Ms,

a jar full of coins with the count of how much was in there-

and whoever counted it closest, won it.

And if it happened to be your birthday celebration,

a ton of presents, and favorites-

just because you were loved.

Or, planting a new tree in the side yard,

so Momo had something to look out from the window,

and see during breakfast.

It turned out to be a source of joy

for both of them,

as they used to watch the birds,

and the squirrels as they came and went.

(It was about 10 years old in this pic.)

All this "flashback" started because I was thinking

about what kind of neighborhood I really like.

And I started thinking about all the beautiful mature trees;

and the old homes that had been kept up,

and some even remodeled to such beauty;

the neighbors who had known each other

for 30 or 40 or even 50+ years. Such stability!

Momo's been gone almost a year,

and Popo almost 2 years now.

But their memory still lives on in each of us that knew them,

and were loved by them.

I'm so glad that Momo was alive to find out that

my baby girl was born,

even though she never got to meet her in person.

I know that there was something special about

her passing, and my daughter being born almost simultaneously.

I like to think about Momo now as Aliyah's angel.

I'd better stop before I start crying.

Some memories just do that. Make you cry.

Love & miss you both. XOXO!