Tantalizing the Memory Bank
You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart…. because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you. ~ Frederick Buechner
Hello! A good winter morning to you and yours! What’s on your platter for today?
Here on SowtheHeart.com, we will be continuing the conversation about how certain sounds, tastes and smells trigger our memory bank! The other day one taste of pecan-wood smoked maple syrup shipped to me from Runamok Maple Company sent my emotions reeling – feelings of warmth and connection with my Vermont family of friends came instantly to the forefront.
When my twin sister and I entered the high school years, we began looking at colleges. Our parents insisted we go out of the State of Maryland to seek our college education. “You can always come back,” they said, “you need to get out and experience life in other places.” My sis and I knew a candle would always be lit in the window when and if we decided to return. How grateful I am that our parents insisted we go far from the family nest. I experienced life as I wouldn’t have otherwise had I stayed close to home.
Now I’m living back in the state of my native roots, after leave-taking for four++ decades. There are so many memories I carry around with me from my decades of living way up north. I became far more acquainted with what Vermont had to offer then my native stomping grounds. After all, I left home at eighteen. It’s been fun to get reacquainted with Maryland even though its far different than from the years of my childhood.
The other day when the taste of pecan wood-smoked maple syrup hit my tongue it transport me back home to the beloved Green Mountains of Vermont. It was pretty darn sweet!
When I see snow, beautiful perennial gardens (Vermont climate produces the best!), feel the warmth of Johnson Woolen Mill sweaters, taste iconic Vermont cheddar cheese or hear a favorite song made famous by the Von Trapp Family Singers, time and time again for the rest of my life, my Vermont memory bank will be triggered. I do hope those memories never fade because they bring wonderful thoughts.
P.S. Note: You’ve been forewarned – imitations of Vermont Maple Syrup and Vermont Cheddar Cheese don’t work for this girl. So, don’t even try! There is nothing comparable to:
My childhood years of living in Maryland and decades of living in The Green Mountain State is featured in Gift of a Lifetime: Finding Fulfilling Things in the Unexpected, my award-winning memoir.
