Friday, March 6, 2015

Proof I Was Born to Write a Blog


Long before my Daddy developed Alzheimer's, he decided that he wanted to
save something special for me that I would enjoy in the future.  So he took
a cardboard box and filled it with things that I could go through after he was
gone.  He sealed the box with packing tape and told my Mom to keep it 
for me.  Mom told me about the box after Daddy died.  I knew that nothing
in the box was time sensitive because Mom explained that the contents could
be viewed whenever I was ready.  I was very close to my Daddy and I 
waited a long time to open the box.  I wanted to be clear headed and ready.

Yesterday I opened the box.



Inside the box were hundreds of hand written letters from Daddy to 
my grandparents.  We lived in a Chicago suburb and Daddy's parents
lived in Ohio.  He faithfully wrote them letters each week.  I wrote a 
post about Daddy's letter writing several years ago right after his
passing when I was preparing to write his obituary.  In that post I
explained how he wrote letters to his parents postmarked from all the
various countries he visited each year for his work.  You can read
that post here.

The letters in the box I opened yesterday were ones that Daddy 
wrote while he was home in the US, and all of the letters included
something about me.  Every week for years, he wrote about me
from the moment he found out he was going to be a father.  He
wrote about me while my Mom was pregnant.  



They called me "Bumpy".  My Mom ~ whose name was Dorothy, but they
called her Dot or Dottie ~ never got much rest while she was pregnant 
because I was so active.  




I also learned things about me that I never knew.  Once when I was 
about three years old, my Mom took me to visit her Mom in Indiana
while Daddy was in Washington, DC on business.  We rode on the
train from Chicago to South Bend.  On the way back some man from
Oklahoma was keeping me entertained by wiggling his ears.  I laughed
but probably got bored with the same trick so I said loudly ~
"Now take out your teeth", which made everyone in earshot laugh.

Now I can guarantee that I inherited this trait from my Daddy's Mom.
Grandma was always saying something outrageous that would make
everyone laugh.  Grandma laughed from morning till night and she 
made everyone laugh with her.




 My dear Mom and Daddy were older when they had me.  I was 
their first and only child and I think I disrupted their schedule quite a bit.
It had been just the two of them for many years before I made my
surprise entrance.  Keeping up with an active toddler is tiring when one
is a young parent, but I can imagine really exhausting when one is older.
Try as they might, I never wanted to go to sleep at night.  Mom
consulted with the pediatrician, and the other moms in our neighborhood.
No one could come up with a good solution to the problem, so
they just endured.  So many of Daddy's letters discussed the issue of
his little "night owl" with the grandparents.  

Mom would already be fast asleep (shear exhaustion no doubt).
Daddy would be reading or watching TV and I would be in my
room trying to guess what chair he was sitting in or something, 
anything from going to sleep.


Poor Daddy.

But, aside from being the daughter of a prolific letter writer, I discovered
the real reason I grew up to be a blogger and here it is ….



During one of my late evenings I shouted ….

Read All About It!

Even way back then I somehow knew that I would be a blogger :-)

Have a great weekend y'all!

Big Texas Hugs,
Susan and Bentley




















18 comments:

  1. Great post, Susan! I enjoyed sharing the stories in some of your Dad's letters; he sounds like quite a wonderful person and father. What an experience to open and go through the contents of that box. :)

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Hugs,

    Denise at Forest Manor

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  2. What a nice discovery for you and such a treasure from your dad to especially read his writings about you.

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  3. Loved reading this, Susan! You're just like your dad! He wrote letters to his parents, by snail mail . . . and since you're an only child and your parents are gone - you write to all of us, online, by blogging! It would be a wonderful world if all of us would write letters to those we leave behind when we know we're not long on this earth. You're really blessed to have these memories!

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  4. What a great gift your dad left you! I am always so happy to read all about it.
    Cathy

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  5. Such a sweet story. How wonderful this gift was left for you. You were a special child to your parents. Where did they live in Ohio. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. what a precious inheritance! How wonderful thing to have and go thru.

    Judy

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  7. Such a wonderful post I enjoyed every minute of it. Happy weekend with love Janice

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  8. Susan, I can't imagine owning such a treasure as this. My heart would be overwhelmed with joy. Thank you for sharing.

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  9. Susan ,I so envy you this gift of your Dad's words....what a treasure!

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  10. Susan,
    You are a very lucky girl!! This is truly a precious gift from your father. How sweet he had the thoughtfulness to save the letters for you. I know after reading them, you miss them more but, they are always in your heart.
    Addie

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  11. Susan, It has always been a dream/desire of mine to discover some forgotten gift such as a scrapbook, or journal or letters from one of my ancestors (preferably my mom or dad) telling me of days gone by and their feelings and hopes and dreams and the way they saw events of the day. What a wonderful treasure you have in those letters. So glad you shared some snippets of them. What a delightful post.
    Sandra

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  12. You are very blessed indeed! Such a special treasure to know how much you are loved and where you came from!

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  13. I have no words for such a precious gift---a treasure beyond price. I look forward to your sharing the thoughts and words of such a caring, loving, PROUD Daddy, chronicling your life and growth and accomplishments. (And a foible or two---sometimes they're the most memorable moments). We'd all wish for such a lasting legacy.


    rachel

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  14. I think this box of letters is one of the most beautiful gifts I've ever heard of anyone receiving. Every letter pours out how much he loved you and what a kick he got out of you! Priceless.

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  15. What a precious thing your dad did for you. I know you will treasure it always :)

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  16. What a treasured gift you have in your letter box. I cam over from The Over 40 Bloggers....and to think I would probably not have found your beautiful blog journal, but for our Facebook group. I look forward to many more visits here.

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Oliver and I LOVE and read every comment.

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