Dear Reader,
Did my mother go to college?
What was her first job?
How did my mom and dad meet?
I was an only child, why didn't my parents have other children?
With one exception, we never went on family vacations when I was a kid. In 1967 my parents loaded a borrowed camper, on the back of a borrowed truck, and we drove to the World's Fair in Montreal, Canada. I can't imagine what possessed them to take the trip. It was totally out of character, such a strange decision for them to make. To this day I wonder why?
What were my parents' proudest moments in their lives?
Did their lives turn out like they expected?
I do know my father had to quit school when he was in the 8th grade and get a job to help out his family financially. Times were tough, he was the oldest, and there were four other brothers and sisters.
But I realized the other day that other than a few bits of information, I don't know anything about my parents' lives. I never asked and they never volunteered. There was a mom and dad and me, three of us living in the same house, but we were never really a family. We never talked about anything, especially feelings. I wish we had. My parents and grandparents have all passed away, so now it's just me, and it's too late to ask questions.
But maybe you can still ask your parents or grandparents questions about their lives? And who knows, you might be able to spin a great column from their answers for this year's Write a DearReader Contest. I'd love to hear your story. For all the information, deadline, cash prizes, word count, and to read last year's winning entries, click here.
Have a great weekend--and start writing!
Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.
Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com
This month's Penguin Classics book is PENGUIN BOOK OF MIGRATION IN LITERATURE: DEPARTURES, ARRIVALS, GENERATIONS, RETURNS, edited by Dohra Ahmad. I have a copy of the book to share with a lucky reader, so start reading today and enter for your chance to win.
AUTHORBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.
KIDSBUZZ: Click here to discover new books, "meet" the authors and enter to win.
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