Do they know?

To them it's just another plate of yucky food that isn't from McDonald's.

To me it's memories of home and my grandmother. 

It's the dish and side dishes she used to make for me as a child.  Mine never tastes as good as hers and my kids never want to drink the pot of potato broth at the end of the meal like my brother always did.  But to me, it's more than just a meal. 

It reminds me of my grandparents and the special times we had.  It makes me think of my grandfather's home grown tomatoes and the way they smelled when freshly plucked from the vine.  I can still see the tomatoes all lined up on my grandmother's yellow countertop waiting to be used in a lunchtime ham sandwich.  It's banana cakes, and oatmeal cream pies, and peaches with whipped cream on top.  It's the way Grandma used to play with my hair while I sat beside her while she watched "Guiding Light".  It's having a cup of "Coca-Cola" in a coffee cup while my grandmother drank her coffee because I wanted to be just like her.  It's watching my grandmother play solitaire while sitting under the hair dryer.  It's the way she always remembered all of the names of my friends and what they were doing.  It's the way she always made me feel like I was the most special person on the planet.

 Do my kids know all of this?  Do they realize how much is tied up in a simple meal of porcupine meatballs, cabbage, and boiled potatoes?

 No, I'm sure they don't....not yet...but hopefully some day they will.