If you were to ask me where my favorite place is I would say Michigan without a second thought. I’ve grown up spending summers and a few Christmases and thanksgivings in a small town you’ve probably never heard of called Arcadia, Michigan. My dad grew up in Jackson, Michigan and after retiring my grandma moved to a small town in northern Michigan. She lived in an old drug store with a bank off the side of it and a 3 bedroom 2 bath upstairs apartment. Her house is filled with multiple pianos and even an old organ. The walls are covered in her beautiful paintings and pictures of me around each corner.
Arcadia is the kind of town where everyone literally knows everyone filled with some of the most sweet, genuine elderly people you will ever meet. It consists of a few churches, a post office, fire station, park, a camp, beach and of course an ice cream shop. The only way I know how to describe it is truly magical. In the summer the roads are covered by tree tunnels, the sound of birds chirping and the occasional black berry bush. The beach that I grew up going to is about a block away from my grandma’s house and it is right on Lake Michigan. Some of my most memorable nights on the lake are when it was so flat it looks like glass. The sun is setting over the water. I was playing mermaids or making up dance routines with my best friend Ada while my parents sat on the beach and watched us play.
Ada and I met when we were about 2 years old. Our grandmas live about a block away from each other and they set up a backyard tea party for us and the rest is history. We grew up next to each other riding bikes, swimming in the lake, building sand castles, singing songs and of course having tea parties. Ada and I have made it a point to have at least one tea party each summer. Even though Ada and I only see each other once a year or two if we are lucky we are constantly picking up where we left off. Ada is one of those people that you don’t need a social battery to be with. She’s so funny, kind and such a beautiful human to be around. Every night after the beach we always eat dinner then hop on our bikes and ride across M22 to the ice house where we take turns paying for each other’s ice cream and only ever ordering their cake batter ice cream. We sit and laugh so hard you are afraid you might never breathe again. We then bike back to the beach where we catch the sunset and usually go for a swim. I have many things to thank my grandma for but giving me Ada is definitely top of my list.
My grandma was a wonderful lady. Her smile would brighten each room she’d walk into, her hugs were some of the best hugs pulling you close so you could smell her sweet grandma scent and when she was about to let you go she would kiss you on the cheek making you feel so loved, happy and warm. One of the things my grandma loved was any kind of ice cream that had chocolate in it. She is definitely the reason why I love chocolate and ice cream for that matter. Every night before I would kiss her good night she would be sure to ask if I had my ice cream for the day yet. Some of my favorite memories with her was when she would get out 2 fancy glasses and would fill them with moose tracks ice cream (her favorite). We would sit down at the dining room table right next to each other and eat our ice cream and just talk about anything. She would tell me stories about my grandpa Gerry and about things my dad did while growing up. As simple as it sounds these nights were some I will forever hold very close to me because it was always something just the two of us would do as if there was no one else in the world.
My grandma passed this march and it’s been really hard for me to wrap my head around. In a way I feel like I am losing Michigan along with losing her. I’ve promised myself that no matter what it looks like I will try and find myself in Arcadia every summer. I can’t wait to bring my kids there one day and show them all of the good memories I have made there and watch them create their own memories there some day. I’m not really sure where my grandma and grandpa are but I know they are together and that is something to smile about.
