By Ava Marchant | Senior | Brighton High School
[This work comes from the Art of Storytelling class, taught by Julia Satterthwaite.]
Hailey Sell was four to five years old, visiting her family farm. There, she was spending summertime with her great-grandmother, when a hummingbird suddenly landed on her pink, flowery shoes.
Sell’s encounter with the hummingbird was a “crazy moment in life.” The memory would forever hold a special bond between her and her great-grandma.
Her and her great-grandmother’s connection was built on consistent weekend visits. White porcelain rabbits and a little toy mouse would be hidden around the house for Sell to find. Snacks, games, even tricks and pranks– time spent with her grandmother was a blast.
Sell is now a high school senior; however, she says seeing hummingbirds remains a “sign to me that she’s okay and you don’t need to worry as much.”
That’s because her time with her great-grandmother is valuable.
Two years ago, her great-grandmother was hospitalized and moved into a nursing home.
Now, those porcelain rabbits, only an inch wide and a half an inch tall, amongst other gifts like antique bowls and silver rings, are how Sell stays connected with her grandmother.
The little gifts act as connections to the times spent with her great-grandmother, and “will always be with me,” Sell says.
Still, nothing holds her great-grandmother closer to Sell’s heart than the hummingbird, which she describes as “the moment that I knew we were always gonna be close together and have a special moment.”
In Sell’s case, things may change as children grow up and time spent with loved ones may become cherished memories.
Nevertheless, her childhood memories with her grandmother remain through the reminders she keeps — and, of course, each time a hummingbird passes by.