I went home a few weeks ago for a few days to be with family for the celebration of November birthdays (everyone but my nephew and I has a b-day in November). I knew I wouldn't be there for Thanksgiving or Christmas and didn't want to wait until January to see everyone, and it turned out they were planning to get together the one weekend in November I wasn't preaching, so even though I was back in my new city to be in church on Sunday (we had baptisms and a couple other things I wanted to be back for), I didn't have to worry about writing a sermon while I was out of town.
It was a brief trip. Only really with them for 3 days, just barely long enough to get a "family" booster shot, but it was long enough. Mom, sister and I drove several hours north to see a great-aunt I hadn't seen in several years. She's in her 80's and was recently in the hospital for some blood clots, so probably good to take advantage of being able to see her when I had the opportunity. She's a hoot, I was glad we made the trip. Had a good afternoon and early evening with her. Picked up some chinese food from one of her favorite restaurants. My aunt does geneology and she got out some info and pictures of my grandpa's mom and her parents. Really interesting to look at this stuff since I have an interest in geneology myself, and to think about where I came from and how I connect to these ancestors.
The next day I was at my mom's. She has boxes of things from grandpa's attic that he gave her because he wanted to clean it out. A lot of things of Nana's (who died just before I turned 13). I spent the day looking through things that they've been sorting through and barely scratched the surface. But it gave me a window into Nana that I never had before. My sister agreed. We were talking about it and she asked, how come we didn't know this Nana? Is it because she got old, or because we were too young. I said probably a little of both.
For instance. There are photos of a boyfriend she had as a senior in high school and for a while after before she met my grandpa. Indications of nicknames she and her twin sister had been called. Photos of her with friends at the same beach I used to go to with my friends in high school. Photos she took. She had been in a photo club. I think I may have known about that but had forgotten. But to see a few things she had taken opened up a window for me. Most of my journalism minor is photography classes and I even have a couple similar photos floating around. Also a lot of choral music from her time in the church choir. I also have been in choirs and like to sing. I'm a lot more like my grandmother than I knew. There's a photo of her on a motorcycle, looks like out in the country somewhere or on someone's property. I told my mom - I need a copy of Nana on the motorcycle! :)
There were a few letters written to her from her grandparents. They looked like they were just written yesterday, easy to read. It was neat to get a glimpse into the personalities of these great-great grandparents and of their relationship with my Nana.
There was also a diary that Nana had kept beginning when she had been married to grandpa for about 3 months. I read quite a few entries, but not the whole thing. It was one of those with pre-dated pages, almost more like a calendar, maybe a half a page allowed for each day. So it was pretty surface level, a listing of what had been done that day. I was a little disappointed. Definitely nothing like the let it all hang-out-ness of my journals that's for sure. But also it probably echoes the time period she was living in as well.
It also answered a question I've wondered about. My grandpa has been remarried for a long time and my step-grandma I consider to be a grandparent, has been since I was 13 and I love here dearly, she's been in my life longer than Nana was. They clearly have a good relationship and love one another. It had made me wonder about Nana and Grandpa - did they love each other? Some of the cards made it clear that there definitely was love and caring there, at least in the beginning. There was a great little set of 3 cocktail napkins each from a different bar each written within about a half-hour or hour of the previous, notes from my grandpa to nana (while they were dating) saying he was thinking about her and wished she was with him. And Nana had saved them. :)
Somewhere I have some letters from the boyfriend I was with for 7 years. Maybe I need to read through them and mark out stuff or shred a few. I seem to remember some communication of romantic/physical day dreams/fantasies that were communicated. I don't have children at the moment, but would I want any future children or my nephew and his children reading through that? Hmmmm not sure. Of course if they were reading it I'd probably be dead and wouldn't be here to be embarassed by it. Can't imagine to think of the look on some great-niece or nephew to realize that someone had once considered their old aunt who was a priest to be desirable. Heh!
Can you picture the conversation? *chortle*
I tried to write what the conversation might sound like, but it's probably better to just leave it to the imagination.
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