Surprising Reminders of Loved Ones

Posted On December 6, 2020

It makes me laugh to realize what the reminders are that make me think of a loved one. It’s often not what others would expect because it’s based upon my own personal experiences.

Barbie Dolls, Flour Sifters and Mushrooms Remind me of Childhood Friends

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When I see my granddaughter, Laney, play with her Barbie dolls, I’m reminded of one of my best childhood friends, Marsha. She had all the latest Barbie doll items including the pink convertible and dream house Barbie could share with Ken and her little sister, Skipper. We played with Barbie dolls for hours.

Oddly enough, when I see a flour sifter, I’m reminded of Debbie, my other closest childhood friend. When we were about five, we attended the Hatton Community Club meeting with our moms. The members always had a Christmas gift exchange and our mom’s gave us a present too so we wouldn’t feel left out. I remember Debbie got a toy yellow plastic flour sifter. I thought it was the coolest gift and can still picture it. Ironically, as an adult, I discarded my sifter years ago deciding it was an unneeded item.

Eating morel mushrooms reminds me of Lester and Gary, two more childhood friends, who always found so many mushrooms that they would sell them to the teachers at school. I had never heard of morel mushrooms until they showed up on the school bus with bags of them to sell.

Basketball, Football and a Competitive nature Remind me of my Mother

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We are now in football and basketball season, possibly my favorite time of the year! It’s when I’m often reminded of my mother. She was a very enthusiastic fan, to say the least.

Mother played basketball in high school and it was a favorite memory of hers. High school girl’s basketball has certainly changed from when she played on a dirt court that was divided into three parts with two players on each end and a center position played only in the middle court. She explained to me that they never crossed into the other courts. I’m not really sure how it worked, but I know it worked well for her team as they went on to play for state championship (at least that’s what I recall her saying)?

I’m surprised by how far they traveled for games. Her team from Hereford High, near the Rising Sun Baptist Church on Missouri State Road DD, would play in Ashland, New Bloomfield and Hallsville, among other places. She relayed one of her funniest memories. They rode to away games in the back of an open-air stock truck. On the way to one game, she wore a new cotton dress. It poured down rain on them before the game and afterward, she could not fit back into the dress because it had shrunk after getting wet. I just can’t imagine what it was like going through experiences like that. But, I can imagine how competitive she was, because that never changed.

If my mom played any game, it was with the intention to win! Anyone who remembers playing cards or dominoes with her can attest to her extreme competitiveness. She loved a good contest.

Loving sports and being Mizzou alumni, my parents enthusiastically cheered on the Mizzou Tigers football and basketball teams from their living room, either watching on TV or listening to the radio. When I got to high school, my mother started attending all the basketball games. By the time I got into high school, she was an avid fan of Thunderbird basketball. Her favorite players were Ronnie, my good friend’s brother, and Randy, another close friend of mine, because “they hustles up and down the court like no one else,” explained my mom. “They want to win.”

There was a problem with my mother’s enthusiasm though–she had trouble dealing with the suspense of a close game. This came to light one night when the school superintendent tracked me down at a game and directed me to the school “board room” where my mother was sitting in a mildly agitated state. He had found Mother standing in the hallway, just outside the gym door, and her behavior led him to believe she was having a heart attack. I had to explain that was where she was often found watching the game because she could duck past the door during a crucial shot. She would just be too nervous to watch.

I’m totally convinced the superintendent was very worried because he suggested that I drive my mother home. I was only 15 and didn’t have a driver’s license! Mother finally convinced him that she was fine.

That’s how she watched the Mizzou games on the TV at home. Daddy and I would watch the entire game. She would watch a little, then walk out at the crucial moments and then come back in a few minutes later to get an update! It makes me laugh to think about it now, but it was irritating then. At the time, I thought if she wanted to know what was going on, she should watch instead of bugging us by continually asking what happened and what she missed.

My husband often reminds me of my mother. One example is how he watches a ball game. If his favored team is even losing by one point, he will change the channel. He has missed so many great comebacks because of that. Just like Mother, he is a competitor who has trouble dealing with the intensity of the games and hates losing.

What will likely Remind Loved ones of Me?

Mother’s enthusiam for sports carried over to me. However, I prefer football over basketball, especially the NFL and I have passed on that love to my kids.

I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future, my own kids will be reminded of me when watching an NFL game. They will remember me texting them asking if they just saw that Patrick Mahomes or Tom Brady touchdown pass.

What Funny Reminders do you Have of a Loved One?

I hope it makes you laugh to realize what reminds you of a loved one. I encourage you to share one of those reminders in a comment below, so that it gives a smile to me and my other readers.

Gotta go – my husband just came in to remind me that the Mizzou basketball game is on TV.