How a friendly email made my week.

Last week, I received the following short email from a relative I hadn’t been in contact with for quite a while:

Hi Les,

Just a note to let you know that I am thinking about your parents’ anniversary and your mom’s birthday. I hope everyone in the family is doing well!

Rob

Rob’s note was brief but touching, and a reminder of what the end of June always meant to my family. My late father’s and mother’s birthdays, as well as their wedding anniversary, all occurred on the 29th and 30th. Dad has been gone since 1993, Mom since 2010, and in these busy, crazy times, I sometimes forget to think about them during their special week.

It’s hard to remember how we celebrated those notable days when I was growing up and Mom, Dad, my sister Linda, and I were all living in an apartment in Rogers Park. The events probably called for at least one night of dining out, so we would hop on the El at Morse Avenue or catch a CTA bus along Sheridan Road to take us to whatever city restaurant we currently found en vogue. Town and Country on Ridge Avenue was a favorite; Fanny’s in Evanston was a frequent choice, too.

If we were celebrating a very special birthday, we’d forgo our usual means of transportation and call for a cab. We’d head to further suburban spots like Allgauers or Henricis for a four-course meal, and Mom might even enjoy a Daiquiri.

Buying presents was usually Linda’s job. After all, she was five years older and had more disposable income than I did, especially when she started working for Marshall Field’s Department Store. Her employee discount helped us give a little more than we could afford.

One year, we went in a different direction and used mail order to buy Mom and Dad reserved seat tickets for the exclusive downtown showing of “A Man For All Seasons.” It felt very sophisticated to send the self-addressed stamped envelope to the theater box office and then wait at the mailbox every day for the tickets to arrive. No online ordering in 1966!

And though we celebrated, I am sure we didn’t do it enough. It’s wonderful to have the good times to look back on, and now that I am the last one standing, I only wish there were more.

Thanks, Rob, for the note and for giving me the nudge to remember.

What memories do you have of family celebrations when you were young? Please share them with me!