Not long ago I got to thinking about the odd moments that can rise from the murky depths of my memory, nudged out to my consciousness by a chance word, an image or even a sniff of some aroma. Sometimes photo can bring up that memory too the way this photo does of a walk in the woods one autumn with my daughter and her dog, Sumo.
Of course, we all have those moments of tragedy or world changing events so intense we remember exactly what we were doing when we got the news. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was such an event. While that was before my time, I was able to research the day and show how my characters in Small Town Girl were forever changed by that moment in their lives. I could imagine how they might have felt because I have been stunned by news of other tragic events. Kennedy’s assassination. The space shuttle explosion. 9/11. Times seared in my memory.
But I also remember other less dramatic moments in time that seem to have little reason to linger so vividly in my mind. Little snippets of ordinary moments such as how a mockingbird used to perch in the topmost branch of a tree at my old house and sing while I hung diapers on the line. That bird not only sang but would flutter up in the air in a dance of joy. Another remembered moment is the sweet weight of my baby daughter’s warm body against my chest and how she giggled when I rocked her. I know how my father-in-law’s whiskers felt when I lathered up his cheeks to shave him after he was no longer able to do it himself. Back when I was a kid, I remember the sound of the lid on the big red metal cooler full of cold water at the country store opening and the clank of the glass bottles as I pulled out a soft drink. I can still hear how the screen door slammed when I came in from school. Then there was the deliciously cool feel of the linoleum floor after I peeled off my bobby socks and how those socks left a pattern of little indentations on the top of my feet. Moments in time that stick in my mind for no other reason than they happened.
As a writer, I have to invent all those moments in time for my characters. There must be the big moments when a character is faced with challenges and life changing events, but to make my characters spring to life for me as well as for readers, I also have to imagine some of those ordinary moments in time for them. Those moments might or might not make it into my story, but they are so very necessary.
Moments in time. That’s what makes a story. Those moments in time strung together in a forward march to find out what happens next or in flashback moments to see what happened before. Picking the right moments in time to bring a character vividly to life–that’s a writer’s challenge.
What moments in time find a spot on the top shelf of your memory?
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Of course, I remember what and here during those big moments, but smaller moments are also branded into my memory. Learning to knit a sweater for my firstborn, making up songs and poems for him as he lay in his crib, creating numerous stories about a character based on my daughter. A great deal of my memories that pop up are moments with my two children, but many are also of my new life in Florida – sitting on the back steps in my first apartment eating yogurt and drinking orange juice from a champagne glass because it was the only glass I had; going to happy hour and ordering a watered down drink so I could eat at the buffet when I didn’t have grocery money; my first time in port after I started working on a ship and my legs didn’t want to function quite right on solid ground.
Ann, you opened a can of worms in my mind. Now all these moments keep popping up. ;p
Author
Thanks for sharing, Nancy. Those moments do tell a story and bring up some visuals in my mind. I can see you singing to your children and telling stories to them. Then I see you on those back steps drinking juice from a champagne glass. Some moments that definitely could fit into a story and I suppose they do. Your story.
I think one of the most precious memories I have is being invited by my son and daughter in law to see the ultrasound, that would let them know if their baby was a boy or girl! My children were born before that technology was available. I always tell Maggie I saw her and knew her and loved her before she was even born. It was a special blessing for me and I am forever grateful for that privilege!
Author
What a very special gift your son and daughter-in-law gave you, Bonnie. That’s a neat thing to be able to tell your grandchild too and make her feel especially loved by you.
I remember my baptism, a precious memory of a Sunday in a cold creek in
April 1957.
Author
That’s a neat moment in time memory, Sue. A life changing moment. That water did have to be cold in April.
What a tremendous impact those little moments make.
Author
They do indeed, Diana. We need to treasure the good moments.
The summer of ’69…not the song, but the actual summer is a moment in time for me. I spent most of my summer vacation at my grandparents in Paint Lick, KY. My grandmother was a teacher at the elementary school and my grandfather was building a house. That was the year my grandmother went back to school to get her Masters in Library Science. (She had just finished her teaching degree only 3 yrs earlier). That summer I helped her set up the new library and learned the Dewey decimal system. I went to EKU with her and read in their library while she went to class….what a joy to discovery there was an entire building dedicated to books! I spent quality time with my Papaw, fishing and being taught carpentry skills…he was a patient teacher. I spent hours with my great grandmother in her garden and kitchen. She seemed to always have hot biscuits and a jar of apple butter ready for a snack.
When I look back to those days, I realize how completely blessed I’ve been to have had grandparents and great-grandparents to lead and teach and pass some of it on to my grandkids. Thanks for a trip down memory lane, Ann. 😊
Author
What a blessing to have a summer with your grandparents, Lavon. I’m sure they counted it as a special blessing at the time too. And to have so much time in the library. You had gifts all around that year with books, fishing, buidling, cooking and gardening. One fortunate and blessed child.
Like you, I remember Kennedy’s assassination, the Space Shuttle explosion, and 9-11. I’m sure this COVID, mask-wearing period will also be emblazoned on our minds.
Author
This one, the pandemic, will be a long memory with many moments, Suzanne, but you’re right. I doubt we’ll forget this year.
My Daddy died almost three years ago but here is a moment in time I shared on his birthday this past Saturday.
Happy birthday Daddy, you are at rest from all your labors and troubles but I miss you so very much! You would have been 84 today.
I wonder how many times we stripped tobacco on your birthday? I remember one year you and I was stripping tobacco on your birthday and we decided to stop and go see Ma Clara and Pa Arvin at the nursing home .She was so happy to see her baby boy on his birthday.I remember she put her arms around you and said “you will never know how much I love you” then she looked from you to me and then she said” oh, yes you do”
Author
That’s is such a sweet memory to have, Lisa. Glad you were able to think about this special moment in time on your father’s birthday. Sometimes we wonder about the moments we are leaving with others.