A Brush with the Past Gives a Special Gift

My friend Kim is a daily painter, and often her paintings depict “everyday” items or situations – seen as only an artist can see them. Today, she painted two humble dandelions in a glass jar, and posted it to her blog with a short but eloquent note about childhood bouquets. Something about Kim’s words and the golden blooms on her canvas transported me back to my grandmother’s kitchen and for a moment, I was 7 again – sitting on a wooden hoop back chair that had been painted white, but had black feet. I was looking at the windowsill over the kitchen sink, and in front of the view outside to the barn, I could see the small posy of dandelion, devil’s paintbrush, violets and red clover – which I’d carefully picked moments before – proudly sitting in a small jar of water. I was eating my reward for such a lovely gift – a small bowl of fresh strawberries from Grandma’s garden while Grandma puttered around the kitchen talking about what she still had to do before the “men” came in for dinner.

That’s a lot of detail for a split second vision, but such is the power of memory. We all have these wonderful little snippets of the past tucked away in our consciousness. Little pockets of our lives, carefully packed away – just waiting for the right trigger to remind us of them once again. And these swift “visions” of the past sometimes bring forward much more detailed remembrances, as did this one. It reminded me of the sound of Grandma’s water pump, and the sweet, wonderful taste of their well water – the best water I ever tasted.

 The other memory it triggered was of my Grandfather’s huge hands opening an amber coloured pill bottle with a white lid, and tipping out 2 or 3 pennies or nickels to share among his 3 freckle faced granddaughters. I remember the 3 of us standing around him in hushed expectation. In those days, a penny or a nickel was a rare gift for a child of 6 or 7 and we were breathless with excitement to receive such a prize.

So thank you, Kim, for this rare little trip back to moment from my childhood. It was a lovely treat to spend another moment or two in Grandma’s mint green kitchen with the late afternoon sun warming me though the windows. These little gifts that life throws our way must be savoured and appreciated, and this one certainly was!