The days will pass, time will move on and we will think we remember, but we won’t. Details drift away like tufts of dandelion in the wind. I will forget this first embrace of spring; the sun’s warm breath on my face. Although pictures may remind me, I will forget the Cindy Lou Who hair and the exact shade of blue of my niece Ellie’s smocked dress. I will feel the ghost of the moment when she peaked around the leg’s of her father’s chair at the Wayside Restaurant and waved at me with the widest gleaming smile and even wider brown eyes. I will remember what a beautiful baby she was, but these tiny moments when I sat cross-legged with her on the restaurant’s floor and pretended to drive to the circus will fade. While I may remember that Waffles’ once learned to escape the fence, I will forget the crystal clear trill of the bird in the tree as I walked the perimeter to see where my father had blocked Waffles’ egress. As age claims them, I will forget how easily Waffles and Alfie once moved, their respective haughty and lulling gaits, eventually giving way to stiffer and more jaunty walks.
As the days pass and time moves on, I will forget how shiny, bright and young we each were – my parents healthy and proud of their granddaughter, my brother’s family still so nascent and blossoming, me, filled with hope and expectation for the life that’s around the corner. We take with us the quick sketch, the outline, allowing the Kodachrome colors to fade. We forget unless we take the time to remember. But now, because I captured it here, perhaps I will preserve some of this sunshine to warm my heart. I will toddle into time’s stream like my niece on her newfound legs and leave these tiny breadcrumbs of memories to trace back to this day.