We were enjoying a leisurely late afternoon lunch at "Smith's" in Sag Harbor when out of nowhere my eldest daughter gazed about her and abruptly said, "This reminds me of your Gram's house." Squelching a look of amazement and not wanting to burst a fragile childhood memory bubble, I simply said, "How so?" I looked across the large expanse of the restaurant with its open French doors leading to an outdoor patio dining area, and the not-to-be-ignored water view of the Long Island Sound separating Long Island from Connecticut. Try as I may, there was no way I could link this place with my Gram's kitchen. There was not even so much as a decent mud puddle on the perfectly manicured, one acre plus property on which sat this eating establishment. Gram's house had no outdoor patio, and there was not a French door anywhere. The interior of this restaurant was sleek and handsomely traditional, and probably seated a good 120 people. Gram's table sat six of us comfortably, seven in a pinch. While all of this was running through my mind, she went on to describe Gram's unforgettable red kitchen floor. Now, the restaurant floor was a highly polished dark oak... impressive, but definitely not reminiscent of hand painted red floor boards. With my Nova Scotia salmon perched on the tip of my fork and my mouth slightly ajar, I awaited the further reasoning of how this place in the slightest, remotest way resembled Gram's kitchen. Her answer to all these unspoken thoughts was, "Don't you think so?" Well that broke loose all my self restraint and I let out a stifled laugh. "No." said I. I was willing at this point to let the memory bubble burst on its own accord. "It's the ambiance of this place." she went on, "I don't feel hurried to finish my meal." She, like me, is always the last at the table to finish eating. "But the floor..." I continued, "What made you think of the red floor?" "Because," she answered with the patience of an elder sister to the younger, "Gram's floor always made me feel so welcome. It seemed to say come in, come in!"
Indeed, it did that! The kitchen was the largest room in the house. Aside from the floor, red was the decorative color. All the windows in the kitchen had cheery red curtains with snowy white ruffled tie-backs. We still had a small black pot bellied wood burning stove which perpetually had a "just ready to boil" kettle on top to be poured into a waiting teapot. (One of my fondest memories, but that's another story!) I further reasoned with her that the closest resemblance to French doors in Gram's kitchen was a wall of white cabinetry. It had three tiered shelves enclosed with double sets of glass doors that reached from the counter to the ceiling. "Yes!" she eagerly agreed. So that's what the French doors reminded her of? I wondered how the large expanse of the restaurant related, but thought it best at this point to, as they say, "Let sleeping dogs lie." Perhaps it's the way the places of our childhood remain so large in our minds, only to discover when we revisit them as adults, how small they actually were. I would leave that thought unspoken, as well.
I find it interesting to hear what children remember about their childhood. What may seem like totally unrelated places and objects can bring back a precious memory to them. It is often that I wonder what our homes in heaven will be like. John 14:2 promises, "In my Fathers house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." Just think. Our heavenly Father knows each of us so well that He will provide just the right place for us, and not just any house, but a mansion! Jesus will personally prepare it for us and it will be wonderfully close to Him, for the scripture says it is in the Fathers house. It is almost bitter sweet to read in 2 Corinthians 5:6, "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord." Yet we are comforted to know that one day we will be with our heavenly Father in His house, in our mansion. I am quite sure that one room in mine will have a red floor!
Indeed, it did that! The kitchen was the largest room in the house. Aside from the floor, red was the decorative color. All the windows in the kitchen had cheery red curtains with snowy white ruffled tie-backs. We still had a small black pot bellied wood burning stove which perpetually had a "just ready to boil" kettle on top to be poured into a waiting teapot. (One of my fondest memories, but that's another story!) I further reasoned with her that the closest resemblance to French doors in Gram's kitchen was a wall of white cabinetry. It had three tiered shelves enclosed with double sets of glass doors that reached from the counter to the ceiling. "Yes!" she eagerly agreed. So that's what the French doors reminded her of? I wondered how the large expanse of the restaurant related, but thought it best at this point to, as they say, "Let sleeping dogs lie." Perhaps it's the way the places of our childhood remain so large in our minds, only to discover when we revisit them as adults, how small they actually were. I would leave that thought unspoken, as well.
I find it interesting to hear what children remember about their childhood. What may seem like totally unrelated places and objects can bring back a precious memory to them. It is often that I wonder what our homes in heaven will be like. John 14:2 promises, "In my Fathers house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." Just think. Our heavenly Father knows each of us so well that He will provide just the right place for us, and not just any house, but a mansion! Jesus will personally prepare it for us and it will be wonderfully close to Him, for the scripture says it is in the Fathers house. It is almost bitter sweet to read in 2 Corinthians 5:6, "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord." Yet we are comforted to know that one day we will be with our heavenly Father in His house, in our mansion. I am quite sure that one room in mine will have a red floor!
