A memory will flash pictures in front of your eyes instantly taking you to a time that was forgotten and brings forth a mixture of feelings that impact you in that moment of remembrance.

My grandchildren spent the night and had school the next day so I packed their lunches. I always brown bagged my kids lunches so naturally that’s what I did this particular morning. All kids now a days have some sort of fancy decorated container or lunch box with cool drinking devices. (I say devices because to get some of them open you need a dang combination) Lunch boxes have been around forever and my kids had their fair share but I loved the faithful brown bag because you could write their names and pictures on them. They could be thrown out when down with no week old funk being found at bottom of book bag. Simple, quick and easy was my middle name during school mornings with a house full of rambunctious kids of all ages and personalities.

While I was writing the names of my grand-kids on their brown bagged lunches, I had a reel of memories play in front of my eyes that instantly brought beautiful tears down my cheeks. Anyone with multiple kids will understand what school mornings are like when the clock is ticking and the bus is coming. Never did it once cross my mind back then that those are the moments I would miss the most. I could see sitting on my counter all the brown bags lined up in order by age with the names of my kids and who ever else was spending the night and needed a lunch packed. They would grab their bag and run out the door to the bus stop with the dog barking and me yelling something not to forget.

Something as simple as a brown bag triggered a flood of beautiful and warm chaotic memories. I loved my mornings (most days) when the kids were growing up. I baby sat most of the kids in the neighborhood so they were all dropped off here to catch the bus for school. By 7am every week day from the 90’s til the 2000’s I had the noisiest house in the hood with the biggest and best bus stop in town. They were wonderful days with many good moments that I think back on and appreciate now that they are over. I was alive and in the moment with my kids in the morning. I will always treasure my brown bagged moments.

P.S. Aiden and Aubrey wanted  my homemade turkey noodle soup and ice tea for lunch. I didn’t have fancy thermoses  but I had plenty of my hoarded jars and brown bags.

When Grandma packs your lunch……….