By Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites

As part of Benaiah’s birthday present, my husband and I presented him with an “experience coupon” – a evening with Grandmommy and Granddaddy to watch the Harlem Globetrotters play basketball in Knoxville, Tennessee. Our just-turning-seven grandson had never heard of the famous Globetrotters, but because his sport-of-the-season was basketball, he was excited about the forthcoming excursion.

I found out about the event through a Facebook ad. The announcement enticed future attendees with this title: “The Harlem Globetrotters 100 Year Tour” and offered special packages. I’m showing my age – though I’m not anywhere close to 100-years-old – but I remember watching in awe as Meadowlark Lemon and Curly Neal dribbled, bounced, scored, danced, slid, and entertained with clean, fun silliness, and made some of the most amazing shots from all over the basketball court.

(And honestly – I’ve never been a basketball fan, as a child or adult.)

[tweet_box design=”default” float=”none” inject=”#Writing #Writinglife #BRMCWC”]Turn Childhood Memories into Writing Opportunities by @JLavenderWrites on @BRMCWC[/tweet_box]

 What joy my husband and I experienced that evening: watching Benaiah’s eyes grow wide with each trick shot, giggling right along with our grandson at every joke and gag on the court, trying not to stare when our grandson stood up and danced along with the players, and snacking on pizza, hot dogs, and cotton candy.

Memories we’ll cherish for years to come … just like the memories of my childhood Globetrotter games that flashed through my mind when that familiar whistling theme song played on the jumbotron above us.

If you need an idea for a writing project – an anecdote for a devotion, an introduction for a blog post, a theme for an article, or maybe even a children’s picture book – dig deep into the recesses of your childhood memories. You just might find a jewel to make your writing project sing!

Consider some of these possible childhood memories:

• a first day of school
• a move to a new house, across town or across the country
• trips to theme parks
• a visit to the county fair
• your first, large sporting event
• the first time you slept in a tent or camper
• your first (or most challenging) hurricane, tornado, or earthquake
• a school or county competition – spelling bee, geography bee, 4-H competition
• the first fight with your childhood best friend
• sleepovers with cousins or friends
• the first time you rode an escalator (My small hometown had no escalators, and my financially-strapped farming family didn’t travel much. The first time we drove an hour to Savannah, Georgia, I rode the department store escalator over and over and over … until I made myself nauseous. I thought I was going to lose one of the few restaurant-meals I’d ever eaten in my brief life at that time, and it took more than an hour for me to feel better.)
• first airplane, train, or boat ride

Childhood events, the good, the bad, and the ugly, shape our lives and help create the adults we turn out to be. Use some of those memories to enhance a writing project. You’ll enjoy taking a stroll down memory lane in the process.

What childhood event have you written about? Which one might you use in a writing project in the near future?

Julie Lavender loves making memories with her grandchildren and enjoys daydreaming of adventures she shared with her own children in days gone by. She is the author or coauthor with her husband of 50 books, mostly in the children’s educational market. She’s thrilled that her faith-based books have reached children and adults over the years. Some of her books include Children’s Bible Stories for Bedtime, Children’s Advent Stories for Bedtime, Strength for All Seasons: A Mom’s Devotional of Powerful Verses and Prayers, and A Gingerbread House.