Some of my favorite memories were made within the narrow walls of the old motor home parked in the side yard of my childhood home in Florida. I remember climbing the small tree directly in front of the RV and peering through the tinted windshield at my grandpa sitting inside, classical music emanating from his radio. It wasn’t exactly the motor home itself, but the delightful residents who lived in it for part of each year—my grandparents– that transformed the motor home into something glorious.
The old RV was cream colored with a sky blue streak running across it.The inside was narrow, even to my youthful estimation. It was sparsely decorated, but quite crowded due to the close quarters. I can still hear the constant ticking of the blue flower shaped clock in the kitchenette portion, and I remember the sparkling purple candle that I had bought for Grandma poised on a shelf.
It was in the motor home that my grandma helped me stumble through one of my first chapter books, “Surprise Island,” the second book in the Boxcar Children series. I remember her giving me a page marker and instructing me with reading tips, such as, how to move my finger across the page as I read.
Another favorite memory from the beloved motor home is the game nights I shared there with my grandparents. Before bedtime, I would slip away to the RV and we would sit around the small kitchen table and play Boggle. Time sped away as we enjoyed each other’s company.
As the years went by, my relationship with the motor home and its residents changed. I no longer ran over there to show off my new winter jacket, or to take reading lessons, but for more serious things. I remember escaping to the motor home to pray with my grandparents over a troubling issue.
Life has changed since those motorhome days. I have moved from Florida, the RV has been sold, and my dear grandma has passed away. The motorhome days seem so far away, and definitely locked away. I can never have them back, yet the memories made within those narrow walls will always hold a special place in my heart.
June, 2013
