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!
