Surprise Memories

Every so often something happens that takes me back to a time decades in the past.

Sometimes it’s a smell. Sometimes it’s something as mundane as using my mother’s mixing bowls. This morning it was a sense that enveloped me when I walked into my bedroom. i guess it was the feeling of a spring day, with the windows open. The sun was shining, the air was crisp and cool and fresh. And it took me back to being in my bedroom in my parents’ house many, many years ago.

Every time I see a ceramic chicken, I think of my mother, who collected ceramic chickens. When she died, each of us kids took one as a tribute to her. The others were donated to a charity thrift shop.

It's always a pleasant surprise to have these sensations surprise me at random.