Harris Zaki Rashid

A few weeks ago I returned to New York to visit family and clear out all of my “stuff” from my Mom’s apartment, which she is vacating at the end of the month.

I packed and unpacked a lot of my old possessions, toys, books, clothes, records, and other things a number of times, trying to figure out what to keep and what to throw away, sell, or donate to Salvation Army. It wasn’t quite like I was unpacking my history, because there was really not a lot left. Some of the things I did have to part with were some stuffed animals my mother kept since I was 3 years old, some school books I remember from 5th grade, and clothes from high school, toys from grade school, a large part of my od GI Joe collection, and baseball card collection…I’ve always been an avid collector, just like my mother, and grandfather. Wether it’s GI Joe toys, baseball cards, stamps, cassettes, cd’s, records, books, if I am interested in something, I like starting a collection of it…Fortunately for me, my passions for baseball, toys, stamps, and books has subsided, and I only maintain a modest record collection, and an even more modest book collection.

I also happened to return to the East to visit my Grandfather for his 91st Birthday, which was a special treat. I actually found a grade school journal from 1990, with an entry I had written describing my experience during my Grandfather’s birthday celebration that year. The journal entry helped me to remember that moment in time, and actually experience some of it as a 12 year old again. In 1990, we had a surprise birthday party for my Grandfather and I remember how big of an event it meant to me and the rest of us: everyone assembling from around the country in a small town in New Jersey for the weekend, going out to eat at a Restaraunt (a rare treat back in the day), getting out of Brooklyn (also a rare treat).

The 5 day trip was a whirlwind, and coming back to the Bay and work was just as busy…Just in passing did I realize how much time has gone by since that surprise party in 1990, and how much I have changed, and how meangingful my family has been to me. It’s always good to be back in NYC, but even better to be back with family, for a good celebration, and knowing that we have come a long way!

I posted some pics from the party here.

This entry was posted Thursday, April 19th, 2007 at 12:10 pm and is filed under Random Thoughts. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.