At the beginning of the quarantine, I wanted to do something for my grandchildren Rivers (12) and Ellie (10). We weren’t seeing one another at that point so I decided to bake one of their favorite treats (banana bread muffins) and leave them on their doorstep. As I looked around for something to put them in, I happened to think about “the” basket.
This basket has quite a history. One day years and years ago, I was stuck at home with a cold and my Mama, bless her heart, brought me chicken soup and a small vase of flowers, nestled down into a rather ordinary looking basket. I recovered quickly and a week or so later, I wanted to do something to thank her so I baked a loaf of bread. Looking around for something to put it in, I saw the basket she had used and it seemed about the right size so I put the bread in it and took it to her house. She wasn’t home so I just left it on the doorstep.
A week later I came home one day and on MY doorstep was the basket this time filled with some trinkets that she had painted for me. Well, it became a game, and then a habit and then a cherished tradition. That basket went back and forth between us for almost thirty years, until she died. Sometimes it would be weeks between baskets. Sometimes it would be a matter of days, but it was always a thrill to find the basket and we loved having this special way to send treasures to one another.
So, when I thought of the basket, I dusted it off, put the muffins inside with a note to Rivers and Ellie, explaining the history and the importance of this basket and suggesting that maybe we could renew the tradition. It was only a few hours later that my doorbell rang and on MY doorstep was the basket filled with hand drawn thank you cards from the kids and a bar of my favorite chocolate.
Since then the basket has gone back and forth quite a few times. Occasionally, there are strings attached. One evening I found the basket with a string attached to a full take out meal!
I have to admit to a few tears. It’s so meaningful to me to renew this tradition. Not only is this a special and fun way to interact with my daughter and these grandchildren, it’s also a wonderful way to remember my mother and the love that we shared. I love to think that when Ellie is a mother, she’ll be leaving treasures in “the” basket for her children and telling them about LaLa and how in the middle of the 2020 epidemic, we exchanged this magical basket.
Would this have happened in a “normal” year? I don’t know but I suspect not. Strange times have created new opportunities. And now, sandwiched between memories of my mother and dreams for my grandchildren, I’m taking advantage of the these times to renew a custom that has brought me joy for so much of my life. But that’s what tradition is all about, right? Remembering the past while bringing joy to the present – and thinking about the future! Besides, it’s just fun and who doesn’t love to find a little magic on the doorstep?
Love this Laura, as I look around and see Lois’ hand in so many places in my life. Your grandchildren are so fortunate to be a part of so many traditions.