Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. Ecclesiastes 9:7 (NIV)
From the archives…While Little Miss Sunshine was in one of her final days of preschool I gathered up the documents I would need for kindergarten registration – birth certificate, doctor’s records, etc.
And then I thought, “the hot dog place”.
The hot dog place was a quaint little restaurant in our “downtown” historical area. My daughter and I used to go there after preschool once a week. We would sit at an outside table, enjoy our simple meal and chat about her day at preschool.
Those trips had fallen by the wayside, partly because we got out of the habit, and partly because at $10 an outing, we just didn’t need to spend the extra money.
However, as I gathered up her documents to prepare for registration the next day, the thought suddenly hit me that I would not be able to take her to the hot dog place the next year. Our lunches would be over. Even if I did take her to lunch on a day off, her brother would be with us and it would just be different. It is not the place I’ve made memories with her and her brother – it’s the place I’ve made memories with her.
So on that day, we happily headed to the hot dog place after preschool. It was a beautiful day and we sat at our usual table outside, enjoying the sights and sounds, our conversation and our time together.
I’m not sure what her memories of her preschool years will be, but lunch at the hot dog place will be clearly etched into mine. Small moments can make a big difference.
Heather Paquette 