THE THINGS THAT STICK IN PEOPLE'S MINDS

My children know that I loathe the thought of people learning about others at their funerals. Thus, their idea of making me a memory book for my 70th birthday on July 8, 2023, was a most welcomed gift.

Our daughter sent an email to family and friends asking for memories and photos of me. The result was a fun and fabulous book of close to 60 pages of memories. All mine!!

The intro to my 70th birthday memory book

I’m always interested in the things that stick in people’s minds. It’s fascinating to laugh along and see the light side of our relationship. That was my reaction when reading my book about “me” for my birthday. Every time I read through the pages of testimonials from family members and friends, I learn something new about…me!

After reading through it multiple times, I pondered, how will I share these beautiful accolades? Marie’s entry was posted first in the book, and she was the first friend to visit and read through page by page with me.

Six months later, on a visit to Cousins Carol and Arby, I brought the book along because what’s the point if you don’t share? While on college break, Cousin Lauren Cohen visited in January 2024, and as I looked through the pages with her, I pointed out the connections. After telling my dental hygienist about it, at her request, I brought it along to share on my next visit.

Messages from my friend Maureen and sister-in-law Bobbi reminiscing about the parties I made for them were so heartwarming. Just the idea that they remember after all these years was lovely.

My friend Kevin’s piece was hilarious. He recounted stories of our time working together and brought back memories of dark humor that got us through the days.

Cousins Susan and her daughter both sent entries that added to my essence. Another Cousin named Susan spoke of what it meant to her that I kept her as part of the family after her husband, my first cousin, passed away.

It’s interesting to see the mark you’ve left, and with our nieces Marielle and Sage, I see that allowing them to comb my long hair about equaled their joy of participating as flower girls at our 1975 wedding. Our wedding took place when they were merely 5 1/2 years old.

Cousins Esther, Stephanie, and Jeffrey wrote about our visits across the country, traveling from coast to coast to celebrate over the miles at family Simchas. The next time they’re in New Jersey, we’ll have to take the time to feel the love in the book’s pages.

Entries from my husband and children were exceptional, but the photo that won the prize is the one where our son-in-law Eric is working on his laptop, and Arnee and I were jet lagged and fell asleep on the couch sitting next to him.

I only mentioned a handful of entries, but I’ll stop here. In next week’s blog post, I’ll present Cousin Joselin’s post because it is that important and that sweet. Maybe I’ll make blog posts out of other pages, but more than likely, from time to time, I’ll happily sit and flip through the pages and look forward to showing the beautifully created book to our guests.

For now, take a quick peek inside. Knowing my love of flowers, Eric suggested adding the scattered floral motif throughout the pages. A partial sampling of the pretty pattern appears in the picture on the bottom right side of this page.