I was heading down to the kitchen around 4:30 that afternoon to make some tea. It was a blustery sort of day and I had been very cold. Garrett looked at me with his big brown eyes and chubby cheeks and said in his sweetest voice, “Will you make me some hot chocolate?”

I paused. My first thought was that it would take me awhile and I had to admit, I was a bit lazy. But my second thought, as I looked at my sweet eight year old’s face, was that he wasn’t always going to ask me to make him hot chocolate. One day when he is older, he may not even want me to make anything—even if I offer— emphatically. At that moment, I cherished his request and after what seemed to me to be an eternity, I said that I would be happy to make him his favorite rainy/blustery day beverage.

Making the hot chocolate from scratch was actually quite enjoyable. Hershey’s cocoa powder, sugar, milk and a hint of vanilla, all topped off with a generous helping of whipped cream. It took me about 20 minutes—longer than it would have taken to make tea. Longer than it would have taken if I had the instant kind. I remembered the Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa Mix with the mini marshmallows. I loved it when I was a kid, all you had to do was add boiling water. My mind was flooded with my own childhood memories at this point. Images swept before my eyes of coming home on rainy days, leaving my wet shoes on the porch and changing into dry socks. Mom and Dad worked, so my sister, Anna, and I were on our own in the afternoons. Having those little packets of Swiss Miss instant hot cocoa was a true luxury on those cold and wet winter afternoons. I was thankful for these gentle childhood memories. At the same time, I was also grateful that I was creating new ones with my own son.

Originally published 2011