By Krista DeHaai, Life Enrichment Assistant, Meadows at Mercy Creek
Henry David Thoreau once wrote, “One must maintain a little bit of summer, even in the middle of winter.” What is it about summer that stirs our souls so deeply and brings to us such a great feeling of contentment? I pondered this question as I began to write this article. For me, when I think of summer, I think of family and the best memories of a lifetime.
When I was young, my father would spread a large United States map across our kitchen table and select a place to travel for a week or two during our summers off from school. We did not have a lot of money growing up, so these trips were always fine-tuned to allow for optimal cost-savings. We did not fly on airplanes to our destinations, but instead, our family of six packed into our station wagon, squeezing in all of our necessities around us. These items included blankets, pillows, books, and coolers. My mother was without a doubt the most professional packer of clothes, food, first aid supplies, and toiletries that I have ever witnessed. We were quite snuggled and stuffed into the car as we headed down the road!
Stopping at a restaurant was considered a luxury, not to mention taking time away from the arrival time of our destination. So instead, we ate homemade sandwiches, special snacks, and sometimes even received an ice-cold soda to drink. In retrospect, I now realize how much love went into each and every sandwich that my mother made. She knew who wanted cheese or who liked mayonnaise or mustard and made each sandwich specific to our individual preferences.
During our travels, we rarely stayed in hotels and never at a resort. We were a camping family through and through. Even putting up our tent became an adventure as we scrambled to get it up as quickly as possible. It often seemed that on one of these trips it would eventually rain and our tent would leak. Strangely enough, this is a fond memory for me, as I recall how nonchalant we were about the rain coming into our tent. We just sat away from the leak and bucket filling with rain and continued to play cards.
My parents, who are now in their upper 70s, look back on their childhood summers with a mixture of memories. My mother recalls playing cards, taking trips to the lake, and her fondest recollection of riding her bike with her friend to the ice cream parlor for milkshakes. My dad recalls a more poignant time of working manual labor with his father, fishing for some of his family’s meals, and collecting blueberries and selling them to neighbors to help support the family. However, even in the tough times, summer for him was still magical as he would sneak off for a swim in the nearby lake or gather with a friend or two to play an occasional mini baseball game. Travel during his youth, however, was not on the docket for my father.
It is through these discussions with my parents that I realize why it was so important for my father to create memorable summers for us. He wanted us to see the country and to encounter adventures along the way that he was not able to do with his family when he was young. These no-frills vacations were a true gift of a lifetime from my parents that we will cherish forever.
Meadows offers a full range of senior living options — independent living, Independent Living—Plus!, assisted living, skilled nursing care, memory care, respite care, and Achieve! Wellness and Rehab Therapy — with two locations: Meadows Mennonite Retirement Community in Chenoa and Meadows at Mercy Creek in Normal. To learn more about senior living options at Meadows, visit www.meadowscommunities.org.