Summer Memories
08-11-2002, 8:46 p.m.

Summer Memories...
A Random Acts of Journaling Collaboration

August 11, 2002

Tonight as I was walking, I was watching all the little kids outside playing, and it reminded me of my own childhood, and of all my favorite memories of summer. I can close my eyes and remember so clearly how it felt to be young and free, running thru the grass, playing with my friends.. swimming, laughing, having fun. We would spend the days running the neighboorhood getting into anything we possibly could and then at night, all the kids on the block would get together to play ghost in the grave yard, or some other group game. But what I remember most about these games was my mom, and sometimes even my gram.

My mom had me young (she was 17 when I was born) and as such, she was always younger than my friends mothers were. Maybe that had something to do with it, or maybe it was just that she enjoyed playing with us, but most summer nights you would find here out there organizing games for all the kids on the block, and playing with us. There was many a summer day you could find my mom, and even my gram out there playing Red Rover with all of my friends. I always would smile when one of my friends would proclaim "you're mom is so cool, she isn't like a mom". The funny thing, is that I still hear that occasionally today.

So if I had to pick my favorite summer memory, it would be my mom. She always went out of her way to make the summers special for us. I will never forget one summer.. as we often times did, we spent a few weeks at my grandparents farm in Indiana.. and this particular time, all my aunts and uncles and cousins were there too.. it was some sort of family reuinion, and my mom got everyone (even my grandfather) to play hide and go seek, in the woods behind their farm. It was so much fun, and I will never forget my mom climbing a tree with me, hiding up in the branches and giggling everytime someone would pass us up. She was just the best mom, and I will never forget these precious moments. I hope that if I am ever a mom, that I will make the summers as precious for my own children.