Childhood Memories Are Light Of One’s Life

There are moments in childhood when the world seems happy

"Memories of childhood were the dreams that stayed with you after you woke." -Julian Barnes

Happy moments of our childhood forever stay in our hearts. Time has little to do with those moments when life offers real joys, without even asking.

Yesterday, my four-year-old niece came to stay with us. We had a really good time as she somehow compelled me to play hide-and-seek and other little games with her.

Her beaming face and carefree tread filled my heart with happiness. But just when night began to fall, as always, she hardly dared to look up at the sky.

She’s afraid of zombies and other creatures invented by her mind and stories. So before going to bed, she asked me to keep a watch for zombies.

“Zombies can not come out of stories.”, I repeated.

Her skeptical face showed her doubt. She asked me not to talk about zombies, as if it’d bring zombies into her dreams.

So to get her to sleep, I promised her I will keep a watch for her.

She was relieved as if I were a sorceress and could keep her safe from frightful creatures.

The next morning, she told me her night was pleasant, as she had no scary dreams. She invented stories of my fight with zombies and was going on and on about an incident that never happened.

Sometimes it is hard not to smile at her innocent and effortless talks. Her blind faith in the strength of grownups, who she supposes can do anything, makes her yearn for growth.

I love the way she takes me back to my childhood, where I was as cheerful.

Holding my mother’s hands and seeking the warmth they offered, I was confident. Her eyes, gleaming with trust and happiness, swelled my heart with pride.

Oftentimes I remember how happy I was to ditch breakfast for school. Since I never wanted to eat anything in the early morning, I looked for a chance to go without it.

The same was the case with fruits when I’d fake drowsiness or homework but my mom would force me to eat fruits. She’d tell me how fruits are good for my skin and I’d tell her, “I already have healthy skin.”

Back then, I yearned for a time when nobody would ask me to eat fruits I do not like, but now I sometimes miss those days.

There’s a beauty in relying on someone who loves and cares for us — a beauty that adds delight.

Just like other children, I was overconfident of my father’s abilities. I thought he could fix anything as he fixed my toys. Blind faith in my father helped me follow my heart recklessly.

There used to be a feeling of happiness in the air in those days and unconditional trust was the stimulus for that happiness.

The moment we grow enough to know our problems are ours, parents have little influence on what happens outside our home, we start living on our own.

Aging and maturity are beautiful as we learn lessons and earn experience. And thus get near accomplishing our purpose in this world, but childhood memories are always there.

Savored childhood memories remind us about the unconditional love we received, and the blind trust we had in our parents.

There’s a beauty in trust and people who can be trusted are beautiful. So is our childhood.

Parents often tell how much they missed their little child’s hand clasping theirs. But the yearning is mutual.

When a child teaches his parents to love unconditionally, parents teach him to trust. In those moments, he learns life is nothing without trust.

Whatever happens in life, nothing is achieved all alone. Sometimes we have no choice but to trust. In fact, our world is beautiful because of trust.

Researches show that a child's earliest memories begin when he’s around 3, and those memories solidify when he reaches his 10th birthday. And I think God made it this way on purpose to remind us of the love and warmth we had in those days to add beauty in later days of life.

Vague childhood memories would have spared us from those simple joys.

The journey of my niece from carelessness to carefulness, as she grows stronger each day, reminds me of my childhood.

I am thankful for having happy childhood moments as well as for memories. I am thankful to my parents who showed me a glimpse of heaven with their never-ending love.

"Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows."

- John Betjeman

Thank you Trista Signe Ainsworth for creating this platform where we just have to follow our hearts.