Dear Reader Column 02-24-10

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Dear Reader,

Every night after the dishes were done, before my Grandma Hale would put on her pajamas and settle in for the night, she'd sit down at the dining room table and write down the doings of her day. Grandma's journals are simple school spiral notebooks, and knowing my thrifty grandma, she probably bought a year's worth every September when they were on sale. Grandma was also the shutterbug in our family, and thank heavens a picture tells a thousand words, because she was pretty closed-mouthed in her journals.

I write about feelings, Grandma wrote about accomplishments. Most of the entries in her journal are a list of "things I did today." But I can understand how reviewing "what I did today" would have brought Grandma a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. It's the same reason I like to do the dishes by hand. I wash 15 dishes; rinse and stack, then stand back and admire my work. Too many days as I'm pulling up the covers at night, and getting ready to go to sleep, I'm thinking, "What the heck did I do today to make me feel so tired?"

Grandma knew. Year after year she kept track. And now I have the joy of learning more about my grandmother as I'm reading how she chose to spend her time. And in-between the happenings of Grandma's day, I'm learning a little bit more about myself, too. I ate coon for lunch at Grandma's one day (Yikes!), and in case I ever need the information, (after finishing reading Grandma's 1958 journal last night) I now know the exact day I came down with the three-day measles, when I started taking tap dance lessons, and that on November 30, my parents bought a trailer home and we moved in two days later.

Knowing these facts doesn't change anything. Most people would say, "big deal"--and they'd be right. But learning these things about myself, it brings me comfort. Makes me feel part of a family, even though my family unit was weak when I was growing up. Grandma was my life-line when I was a kid, and by golly last night, feeling a bit melancholy, she came to this little girl's rescue again. I love you Grandma.

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
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http://www.DearReader.com

Comments

[T Andeson]

Enjoyed your Grandma story and the journal tales .... Thanks
TA