Nancy Range Anderson – Author

  I just returned from my 50th college reunion. Something about the weekend made me want to write about it.  This weekend, I told several people what their friendship has meant to me. I’ve written about friendship before, but this reunion hit me hard. Fifty years out of college. So much life since those days, and still, memories that bring us right back. This weekend, I wanted people to know what I remembered. What I appreciated. What their friendship had meant to me then and what it still means now. One friend I’ve known since I was fourteen. I told him that, back then, I had told my mother I was going to marry him. He laughed and said he wished he’d known. He, too, said that our friendship had been very special back then. I told another friend that he had made my sophomore year in college special and that I would never forget that. He thanked me and said my words meant a lot. Then he shared a few memories of his own. It meant so much to hear what he remembered, too. A friend...

Today I had what I call "Mom's Breakfast Sandwich". It's a couple of strips of bacon on buttered rye toast. Our mom used to put these into our hands as we ran out the door and headed to the bus stop.   We were always late so we had to eat on the go.   These days I don't have them too often and today I wasn't in a rush. I was making a piece of bacon for Augie, thought of those sandwiches, and had half of one.   Memories like these inspire my writing. In Caitlin’s Star, the scent of flowers in Grandmother Pearl’s garden is part of remembering her love of gardening. In The Light in Grandmom’s Window, a familiar light carries the warmth of our family tradition.   They also inspire my new program, Preserving Family Memories. Recipes, traditions, scents, and tastes can hold stories worth passing along.   What food, scent, or family tradition brings someone you love to mind? I’d love to hear the story behind it.