She didn’t remember the birthday parties. Or the toys. Or even the family holidays.
And I don’t blame her.
She was so little then.
She probably doesn’t remember how we used to twirl in the kitchen, her tiny feet stepping on mine as we danced across the tiles.
Or how she used to call strawberries “strawbabies.”
Or the way she used to sing with a plastic spoon like it was a microphone.
But after I was gone…
There was one thing she remembered.
No, I’m not gone-gone.
I moved.
Across the country, in fact.
A change in life. A shift in seasons.
And just like that, our everyday moments turned into phone calls and visits.
I didn’t think she’d remember much.
She was only four when I left.
But one day, her mom sent me a video.
She was sitting in her room, playing with her dolls.
In the background, I heard her voice say something that made me stop and press rewind.
She was tucking a doll under a blanket.
And as she did it, she whispered:
“You’re my sunshine. Always.”
That was our thing.
I used to say that to her every night before bed.
Even when I was tired.
Even when she’d asked for water for the fifth time.
Even when I was the one half asleep.
I’d lean over and say:
“You’re my sunshine. Always.”
Apparently, she remembered.
Not the presents. Not the parties.
Just that one quiet sentence — repeated a hundred times in the dark.
I realized something that day.
The little things aren’t little.
They’re everything.
They’re the thread kids don’t know they’re holding onto — until years later, when they reach for it and find it still there.
💌 Want to write something your grandkids will remember forever?
We created a free printable to help you do just that.
It’s called Letters to My Grandkids — a sweet and simple way to share what matters most.
