The woman sitting toward the back of the room was smiling and waving as we packed up our gear. We made our way over, and her eyes twinkled. We talked about music and how we appreciated her coming to the program, but there was something else very much on her mind in that moment: Time Travel.
Her German accent, still rich after so many years on American soil, made the memories she shared all the more vivid. Her family was from Hamburg, and to no surprise, it seemed that many of her fondest memories surrounded her mother.
"She would hang out the laundry, " she explained, "And she would cook, cook, cook..." the passion in her voice told me that not only did her mother cook, but that she must have been a pretty amazing cook!
I was struck by the fact that these simple recollections had lodged themselves so deeply into her memory. This new friend's mother probably could not have imagined, generations before, that her little daughter would one day recall with such fondness her seemingly mundane household chores. Or her potato recipe! I felt blessed and privileged to travel back in time to that kitchen in Hamburg where family love and devotion had surely made their mark. It actually made me look forward to cooking dinner.
Now, truth be told, I'm not sure that my kids will look back someday and relish my cooking the way this woman did her mama's. (My kids are more likely to say, "Wow, Mom sure knew how to use that microwave!"). But I'm encouraged to think that what might be considered nothing more than a routine task may one day remind those I love of how very deeply I care for them.
Time travel, to some sweet destination in the past, can definitely help us to appreciate the present. In fact,time travel sometimes has a way of bringing us even closer to home.
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