Memories of pecans

On my desk right now is a small package of pecan pieces. I saw them yesterday at my local supermarket, and I bought them not necessarily because I like pecans (which I do), but because they also remind me of someone I knew a long time ago: my grandfather.

Many years ago, my grandfather used to take me and my brother hunting for pecans. We'd go to some nearby woods where pecan trees grew, and we'd gather them and open them so that we can eat the pecan inside the shell. He died very young, when he was 58. I was 10 years old at the time of his death, so I don't have a whole lot of memories of him. But gathering pecans was one of those memories, so each time I see pecans, I think of him.

To this day, I don't like pecans any other way than by themselves; I don't like them in pies or brownies. For me, it's just not the same to have them any other way than by themselves. There's an important lesson in all this for those of you who are parents, and those of you who are grandparents.

The lesson is this: Make memories with your kids and grandkids. Do little things that they'll remember - like gathering pecans. While it may seem like nothing to you, for the kids, it may be something else entirely. Pecans may be just something to eat for you, but for me, pecans are a connection to my grandfather; and by eating them, I recall the few times that we had together.

So go out there and have fun with your kids and grandkids, folks. Years from now, those memories just may be how they remember you. Make those memories happy ones.