We were recently blessed to participate in a traditional Jewish naming of our granddaughter at the temple where my son in law’s family have been members for over thirty years.

Our granddaughter, Skylar was named for our son-in-law’s father Steven, who died in the Twin Towers, Skylar's middle name is Remy after my Mom, Ruth. Skylar’s English names use the first letters of their English names. Skylar’s Hebrew names, however, are their Hebrew names.

My immediate family attended as did my sister and my brother’s wife. I spoke, very briefly, about my Mom. My daughter Sydney, however, spoke more at length. 

 My sister, sister-in-law, and I were all struck by the anecdotes about my Mom that Sydney spoke about. They were, clearly, important to Sydney but they were stories we had forgotten about until hearing Sydney speak. For instance, Sydney recalled that after visiting my parents in Florida my Mom would always wear her large sunglasses on the car trip back to the airport. While my Mom would claim they were worn because of the bright Florida sun, her grandchildren knew it was to hide her tears when saying good-bye.

Sydney’s stories made us realize that the small things parents and grandparents do often become the memories that last the longest. A bedtime story, a favorite meal made just the right way, or a simple tradition, of wearing sunglasses, repeated year after year can stay with a child long into adulthood. In listening to my daughter speak, I learned that the moments that seem ordinary at the time can become some of the most meaningful memories later in life.