Story time

I'm a little jet-lagged, so no matter how late I go to bed, I am up by 7 am and can't get back to sleep. The rest of the family is solidly in vacation mode, so sleep in as normal people would. But these uncharacteristic (for me!) early mornings have a serious perk - my Mom is also up. Her mornings start at 6 am, so by the time I am up and make my way to the living room, she's ready for a chat.

Or really these mornings are more like monologues. My Mom has been retelling stories of her childhood, of her young adulthood, of the early years of her arranged marriage. I've heard them all before, but am glad for the refresher. I'm hoping that with each re-tell, the details will reinforce in my own memory so that they become permanent fixtures, and I can pass these stories on accurately and repeatedly to my own kids.

Another bonus: I get to sneak in commentary. I tell my Mom things like: You were so brave! How were you clever enough to think of doing that? And sometimes she giggles at the unexpected compliment. And sometimes she goes quiet for a bit, and I imagine she's reliving those long ago experiences in her mind, and trying to recall how she felt way back when.