I just spent the week visiting my family, and it was everything I needed. After my Papa (grandpa) passed, I've been thinking about life and memories and how fast time can fly by. It has made every moment that much more precious and worth treasuring.

Near the end of the trip visiting my family, I went with my sister, her husband, and family to a rooftop restaurant in downtown Chicago. As I came out of the elevator, I saw a completely glass wall and balcony that overlooked millennium park and Lake Michigan. Immediately I remembered the last time I was in that park. It was two years ago for my 21^st birthday outing with Papa and Baba (my grandma). My husband was there too. It was an amazing experience, one I am glad I got to share with them when my Papa was still in relatively good health.

I remember walking with them in the park in early summer. I showed Allen the wall fountains with faces projected on them. It was warm, but not hot. Kids were running and playing in the fountain, and the sun was shining. Papa and Baba sat by the fountain enjoying the refreshing misty breeze. I captured the moment with a picture, and I'm glad I did. Papa was smiling. I have realized that even more than what we do, is just enjoying the moment with the people we are with. Just being with them, making a memory with them was the best gift I could ever ask for.

As I nibbled on gourmet cheese at the rooftop restaurant with my sister. I noticed at the end of the table a vase of small daisies. Daisies are my favorite flower, so simple but so bright and eye-catching. They make me feel peaceful and happy whenever I see them. When I saw these daisies, I remembered eating breakfast earlier that day with Baba and Papa for my 21^st birthday. We ate on the 91^st floor of the John Hancock, the second tallest skyscraper in Chicago. Full wall windows wrapped around the room that filled the whole floor. You could see the Willis Tower, the lake, and Navy Pier with its massive Ferris Wheel below. And there were endless buildings as far as you could see. On the table was a vase of flowers we had ordered for the occasion, a vase of daisies. My face lit up by how beautiful they were, and we all admired them. They were big Gerber daisies, so fresh and bright that filled a short square vase.

It was strange now being reminded of these memories so vividly. It all came back, the flowers, the park, Papa's smile. The memory was just what I needed. It was a beautiful memory, and I am glad to have been reminded of it. Here I was again looking at the same park with my sister and nephew. He was excited by the fountain, talking about the kids he saw below playing in it. He pointed excitedly at the bean he remembers seeing that shows your reflection a hundred times when you step inside; I had gone there with Papa too. Places, objects, our hearts and minds all hold little memories that pop up just when you need them, allowing you to live that moment anew.

It makes me realize now how amazing each moment is with every one of my family members and even though time can fly by and people come and go, the memories of the moments we shared are always there in the world around us and our hearts.