Last summer, I began using a random number generator to choose a year between 1969, when I have my first memories, to 2024. So far, I've written about 1996, 1998, 1978, 2004, and 1973.
Wow! I had no idea that this was going to set off a chain reaction of others' memories of the same years.
This time the random number generator chose 1972. I was a little girl then. We lived in Westland, Michigan. It's a suburb of Detroit. We lived in a ranch style house in a neighborhood that backed up to a large wooded lot. To me, it was a forest! The elementary school was at the opposite side of the block. I'll be honest. I was very young. I remember where we lived and things that happened when we lived there, but I went to first grade and part of second grade while we lived there. I could be mixing it up a bit.
Here are some random memories in no particular order:
~ Early in the morning, before school, we had to stand in lines outside the school. We were waiting for our teachers to come and get us. One morning, a teacher asked for a volunteer to sharpen pencils. My hand shot up since I enjoyed using the pencil sharpener. This made me late to class, and I got in trouble with my teacher. How could I have known that would happen?
~ Once a week, after school, they had a Bible club. I enjoyed it very much. There were flannel graph stories, songs, and snacks. This is where I asked Jesus into my heart. I asked Jesus to forgive me for hitting my brother, John. Each week, we had a memory verse. Of all the verses I memorized, only John 3:16 stayed with me. Thank you, Jesus! Later, after years of being unchurched and sinned, I would remember that verse. It was one thing God used to bring me to salvation on January 1, 1980. More on that when I randomly get to 1980.
~ On the playground, boys chased girls one day, and girls chased boys on other days.
~ I loved swinging. They had a big swingset. I remember we'd swing as high as we could, pumping our legs, and leaning backward. One time, when I leaned backward, I remember falling off the swing and hitting my head. Ouch! I lived to tell about it; but, when I think about it, that might explain some things. Giggle.
~ I remember being deep in conversation with my mom while I was breaking up a Gainesburger for our Dachshund Greta. Absentmindedly, I put a piece in my mouth. YUCK!
~ I attended a Halloween party and bobbed for apples. I put my head clear into the water, but I couldn't catch one of those little bobbing gems.
~ I was in a school play. My mom sewed a tiger costume for me.
~ We made crepe paper flowers for the same play. Funny thing, I have no idea what the play was about.
~ Gunsmoke was a favorite t.v. show.
~ A favorite party game was to drop clothespins into a canning jar from a standing position. The winner was the one who got the most pins in the jar.
~ I had a crush on David Cassidy of the Partridge Family.
~ Mom and Grandma Mamie recorded cassette tapes and sent them back and forth through the mail. John and I would talk to Grandma on them. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have some of those tapes! Back then, it was a way to avoid the very high cost of long-distance phone calls. That was back before unlimited cell phone calls. When we received a tape, we'd listen, then record over it, and send it back.
~ My mom was room mother in my class.
~ Mom dressed up in my Dad's baseball uniform for Halloween.
~ We moved to Topeka, Kansas, somewhere in Indian Territory, at Christmas time during 2nd grade. When we arrived, I fully expected to see cowboys and Indians everywhere!
~ I played Barbie dolls on the sidewalk in the neighborhood with other girls.
~ We had a lot of fun flying the helicopters from the maple trees.
~ I loved riding my bike.
~ Grandma and Grandpa gave me a Sleeping Beauty watch. It was my first watch.
~ My favorite song was American Pie.
~ I remember writing back and forth to Grandma Bern. I also remember her and Aunt JoAnn coming for a visit.
~ My brother John and I took turns having little Greta sleep with us.
~ I had metal roller skates to wear over my shoes. They came with a key to lock them in place to the right size. I thought that this song was about my roller skates!
~ I got my first transistor radio and listened all the time. Thus began my love of music.
Well, that's all for now.
Please share what you remember... if you're old enough!
This is awesome! But I have a terrible memory on when things actually happened.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun, fun memories. I remember doing many of those things myself, but several years earlier. Those tall swings sets at school, and a huge metal slide - kids today would never be allowed on those not to mention the monkey bars and what we called the witches hat.
ReplyDelete1972 I was a junior in high school - to be that young again!