Thursday, August 19, 2010

"Inspiration Avenue Weekly Challenge
"Coffee? or Tea?"
"Sweet Memories"

Recently I was in Safeway and saw a bag of GINGER SNAPS on the cookie shelf. I thought wow I haven't had these in a very long time, quickly putting the bag in my shopping cart.
Sitting with my coffee cup and ginger snaps,
my thoughts wander back to the summer of 1969. Just moving to live in Custer South Dakota with a brand new baby.
This is when I met HANNAH - my sweet neighbor - who let me hang diapers on her clothes lines. She was my first friend there. She would have me come over, with little Shelly, to have coffee with her.
WELL, we always had GINGER SNAPS! Okay sometimes we would have a piece of her amazing rhubarb pie, that was always in the cupboard during the summer. But, it is the GINGER SNAPS that meant the most to me. Our friendship grew - she was so sweet to me. We moved to Rapid City but we still stopped by to see her, when we were in Custer or if she was in Rapid City to see her niece.
She became very ill with cancer. When she was finally brought to be hospitalized in Rapid City, I went to see her. She was very sick, but she remembered me. I sat by her bed and talked about our times as her neighbor.
The following day her niece called to say she had passed away........
20 minutes after I felt her bedside.
My wise little daughter said,
"Mommy, she was waiting to see you before going to Heaven".
We never know who God will put in our lives, that will leave us with

"Sweet Memories of Coffee & Ginger Snaps"

4 comments:

Shelinwa said...

Klenex Please wow that is cool
AAAH love those memories and how they can come out in a blog... me being the "Shelly in the Story" Love these and the pics

Maggie said...

That is such a touching story! It's funny how the taste or smell of something can trigger memories. Aren't you glad you visited her when you did? Sounds like it was a rare and beautiful friendship.

Robin Norgren, M.A, R-YT, Spiritual Director said...

our family has wonderful memories around ginger snaps as well. We prefer the one with an extra "kick" and have them on Saturday mornings with our tea.

Kim Collister Studio said...

Pass that box please...sniff sniff.
You had me at ginger snaps!!