Last night I was looking for the October Party poem and I happened upon this post.
I thought it was sweet enough to repeat. It was originally posted Oct. 30, 2009.
****
"Will you tell me about my grandparents?" she asked with a tear in her eye.
"I have told you many things about my parents," I said.
"Like what?" she urged.
"Well....Let's see. My dad was very funny. He was a big tease.
Remember what I told you about the toll booth?"
"No"
"My dad said that the toll booth was a popcorn machine. When you threw your money in,
you would get popcorn. But he never waited for the popcorn.
This would make us all scream."
"He also said when we passed by cows, "Look at all of the alligators."
"He loved dancing and music and sports. And he loved his family.
We taught him to do a front flip into the pool."
"Did he learn it?" she wondered.
"Not very well. I think he landed on his back. But he tried very hard. He was not very old."
"And my mom. She was funny, too. Like Aunt Cindy is funny."
"Oh!!!" exclaimed Katie with a smile.
"She drove us to school every day. She loved us very much. She would have loved you very much. You remind me of her, I was just thinking that today when I was looking at your pictures. You are a little Esther in my eyes."
She started to tear up.
"I am sorry you don't have grandparents," I told her.
"They would have just loved you. Maybe you will see the someday in heaven."
Then we hugged and I kissed her sweet head and she went to ask her daddy about his parents.
I forgot to tell her how much my mother liked to dress up for Halloween and how she liked to tap dance at parties.
Now that I think about it, perhaps the fact that Katie wore Kitty cat ears all day is what made me think of my mother.
When we came up to bed and went to kiss her goodnight last night,
she was still wearing the cat ears.
Encourage one another,
Donna
Beautiful post. Thanks. Sniff.
ReplyDeleteThis made me cry. "I am sorry you don't have grandparents." My kids have grandparents, but we have never lived close enough for them to spend much time with them. So I have always made friends with elderly people at church or a neighbor who we can do things for and visit so my kids can have what I call "surrogate grandparents." We have met and loved some lovely people.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
Love, love, love this. Brought tears to my eyes.
ReplyDeleteHugs and love to you and yours,
Sarah P. from Iowa : )
Very sweet post, Donna. I always wonder if your posts are all backed up somewhere so you will have them forever...they are like your diaries, and it would be great for your great-grandchildren to be able to read them :).
ReplyDeleteDonna,
ReplyDeleteTag teaming on Amy J's comment, have you ever figured out how to print your blog into a book? I would like to do that, but I never have taken the time to really figure it out!
And what a treasure that those little sparkles of memory live on in the generations to come. It is so hard to miss those who are gone, but that sparkle does turn the pain to bittersweet.
Beautiful!
Di
My friend, Doug, did this. I was honored to see the finished product (440 pages). It was delightful.
Deletehttp://notaboutme.typepad.com/not_about_me/2013/07/its-a-wrap.html
I have not made my blog into a book. The idea overwhelms. I have lost many pictures on the blog due to company's going under and once to my own mistake of making the pictures private on flickr...I lost a few years due to that. And most recently I lost my beloved comments when Haloscan went under. Of course they said there were ways to save them but I tried and failed. I just had to forget it...the pain was severe.
ReplyDeleteSo. There are companys that do this I think.
I can only imagine the difficulty this would present for my vast archives....it makes me too afraid to try.
(blurb)
Like any HUGE project, break it into small bits. Perhaps do one book on only one subject of your blog (family stories, Katie, photography, seasonal quotes and poems, etc.)
DeleteThe writing and illustrating has already been done. But editing is a huge undertaking.
My good friend (above) made his blog into a book using Blurb. It's spectacular. He said it took him about six months.
Not really editing...formatting. So many decisions.
DeleteDitto on giving Blurb a try. I made my one year of blogging into a book. You can select which years you want to important. So if the project overwhelms you, just start with your first year and see what happens.
DeleteIt is easier than you think.
Heidi
Thank you Heidi! I'd love to talk to you about it.
DeleteThank you Carol. Perhaps I will make that a ten year anniversary goal.
ReplyDeleteLove this post. I am now crying at my desk but it was worth it.
ReplyDeleteMary Z
Aw. Don't cry shopgirl.
DeleteMr. 152 insights into my soul.
DeleteMary Z
(((Hugs))) LOVE these comments :-)
DeleteLoved this post. Thank you for finding it in the archives. It was worth a re-read.
ReplyDeletehmbalison
sweet. Karen F.
ReplyDeleteJust this one blog entry would make a great children's book. There are bunches of children who don' t have grandparents or their grandparents live too far away for them to be with them often. Wish I knew more about the publishing world, but I don't. However, someone once told me that if you wanted to get published to look at the publishers of your favorite books and send them the manuscript or concept and if they like it they will assign you an editor to work with you and provide the illustrator...most children's book authors don't get to pick their illustrators. Ree has several Charley books out now, she could give you some advice, or you could print this out and put it in a notebook to keep for your grandchildren to read about the time Katie wanted to know more about her grandparents. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI tried very hard to talk about my husband's parents who both died young before our children could know them and our kids know the fun family stories almost by heart. Now we need to carry that forward with our grandchildren. Family stories are the best ones! Thanks for sharing. love and prayers, jep
I can see it now that you mention it. I especially like to imagine the picture of my dad NOT waiting for the popcorn and all of us....seven of us... having a fit in the car! Or my dad playing records and dancing with our mom as we all watched.
DeleteIt's fun to think about.
You are the best Jep.
Dear Donna, Wouldn't it be fun to have this story illustrated by Stephen Gammell who did The Relatives Came? Another great "family" illustrator is Trina Schart Hyman who did A Child's Christmas in Wales and she illustrated Updike's A Child's Calendar. I can just see it in my mind's eye. I agree with Di, this would make a great one! love and prayers, jep
DeleteI thought of that right away.... Then I thought of the illustrator named Marla Frazee. She did The Seven Silly Eaters. Which we happen to love in our family :o)
Delete{{{LIKE}}} jep
DeleteI am forever writing children's books in my head. This would be a great one, Donna!
ReplyDeleteDi
precious!
ReplyDeletesandyleeisme
The children's book idea? Go for it!!!
ReplyDeleteAwwwwwwwww!! Sniff!
ReplyDeletesis' cindy :)