Summertime Nostalgia

Fond Childhood Memories

By Family Life Publications Staff

In many ways, because of the pandemic, this summer has been a lot different. So, we found ourselves reflecting on some of our favorite childhood memories from summers past. We hope that sharing these moments will inspire you to think back on some of your own happy experiences.  

Janet Ponichtera
Director of Sales and Marketing
Several days a week, my sisters and I would walk to Robles Park with my Grandpa Girolami. On the way there, we would stop at a little mom and pop grocery store, and Grandpa would buy each of us a cold Coke in a glass bottle and a box of Cracker Jacks. We played at the park for hours. We would occasionally get an ice cream cone when we returned the glass bottle to the store on the way home. My mom always wondered why we were never hungry for lunch when we got back to the house.  

Also, my mom would make spaghetti for lunch every Friday, and a homeless man would always knock on our door. She would make him a plate to enjoy while he sat on our porch, and shed also give him a grocery bag of food to take with him. Sometimes, wed join him around the picnic table while he ate. He was always grateful. Mom never said anything to us about the man. She just led by example.

Julie Senger
Editor
More daylight hours meant more time outside for me and my twin brother to swim in the pool in our backyard; play games like kickball, hide-and-seek, and ghost in the graveyard; or simply ride our bikes with our neighborhood friends. No cell phones meant that the streetlights illumination was our signal to go home.

I also looked forward to my familys annual trip to the beach and simpler pleasures like helping my grandma in her garden when we visited her. Grandma also taught us how to play Parcheesi and Rummy (she never let us win), and we always left her house with a sandwich bag full of treats that shed compile from her famous candy jar.

Candice Williams
Graphic Artist
Family vacations are some of my favorite summer memories, but because my dad hated the beach, we went to the mountains in Cherokee, North Carolina, instead, which was about a four-hour drive.

I remember seeing native Americans in their headdresses play music and dance to the beat on the streets while we walked in and out of the gift shops to find the perfect souvenirs. I can still taste the white chocolate covered pretzels from Santas Land. I also will never forget how scared I was riding the chairlift up the big mountain to Ghost Town in the Sky. I will always cherish this time spent with my parents.

Stephanie Bolton
Graphic Artist
I remember going to Ohio for a family reunion and staying with my moms friend who lived in a haunted house. The ghosts name was Johnny Good Ghost. He mostly just moved furniture around and turned lights off and on. After researching the history of the house, my moms friend discovered that, in the 1800s, a drunk man fell out of the second story bedroom window his name was Johnny. That bedroom (which became the kids room!) was where they usually saw him.

During our stay, I met my Italian great-grandmother who spoke very little English. My uncle video recorded her telling a story (in Italian) about meeting a cotton candy ghost when she was a young girl.

The reunion was held at a lake that was part natural and part man-made, so half of it had a cement floor. When a huge storm hit, my cousins and I sheltered in their familys woody station wagon and ate watermelon and spat the seeds at each other. After the storm passed, we got in big trouble!

Tiffany Corn
Graphic Artist
Like many others, summertime was my favorite as a child. My days were filled with enjoying the sweet taste of honeysuckle, running around with dirty hands and feet, riding bicycles, playing in sprinklers, and chasing lightning bugs.

My mom, my brother, a group of about 12 other family members and friends, and I would pile into a couple minivans and head to Panama City Beach for a special weeklong vacation each year. Dad always said he never wanted to go because he hated the sun, sand, and ocean, so he would stay home to work. Hes one to joke, but looking back, I think he stayed home to help pay for our trip.

The adults rented a beachside condo that was only big enough to sleep about half of the people in our group. Luggage was scattered everywhere. Getting ready for dinner would be done in shifts, which took about four hours because we only had two bathrooms. But we didnt care not one bit. In fact, Id do anything to go back and relive the fun, love, and most importantly, the patience that was gained during our yearly trip. Id even force Dad to come along with us.

Jack Tuszynski
Publisher/Photographer
My familys home was on about 9 acres in rural Hickory Flat half was wooded, and the other half was a big front yard with fruit trees down both sides of our garden, which contained beans, corn, peas, okra, tomatoes, and squash. My parents were avid farmers, so we spent many days preparing the earth and harvesting fresh vegetables to eat, share, preserve, and store.

Summers were hot up on Dads lap on the tractor, on the porch shucking corn with my brother, or in the kitchen helping Mom can vegetables. We lived simply, but our days were filled with lots of family time, our bellies were filled with the fruits of our labors, and our hearts were filled with happiness.