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Nostalgia and hindsight
Jul. 21st, 2008 03:41 pmI had an interesting weekend. Mom came to visit Friday night, and spent the night; I took her to happy hour with the bio-grad gang, then Taylor Grocery (the south's favorite catfish parlor!) for dinner. We hit two farmer's markets on Saturday morning, and she had a really good time.
Maybe it was because we sat on the front porch of what must be one of the oldest shacks in north Mississippi for nearly an hour waiting on dinner, but we talked about family history a lot. I asked about my grandfather - her father - because he is one of those people I never knew, and really, really wish I had. I learned he was never critical; he found something nice to say about anybody, and defended them outside of their presence. Even on his deathbed, he had one hell of a sense of humor. He and my dad were very close. He and his father originated a breed of chickens that excelled at cockfighting (one of his hobbies) - and family legend has it that Santa Ana offered to buy one of the roosters for its weight in gold. I learned that my grandfather was a friend to gypsies. He died when I was five years old, and I have very few memories of him. I can't help but wonder if he would like who I've become.
Saturday ended up being more of the same, since I helped Mom clean a bunch of my old stuff out of the attic of her house, which she's planning on selling in the near future. I found a bunch of my old yearbooks from high school and middle school - truly terrifying material from a time that wasn't always good to me. I found issues of my high school literary magazine, to which I was a contributor, and later the editor. (No, you are never allowed to see them, ever.)
I also found a box full of letters that family and friends wrote me in college. Because I am a roleplayer, a lot of them are written in character, addressed to and from fictional entities. I... can't remember who played some of those characters, so I have no idea who wrote me some of the letters. XD
Some of the letters from my family are an eerie look at the past, foreshadowing concerns that later became enormous issues. Some are really heartwarming, like the letter from my friend Nancy. Nancy was from my grandmother's era - a friend of the family with whom I kept in contact until she passed away. In the letter I've found, she writes about all the excitement surrounding my sister's wedding. My sister has since divorced that man, and is now married to Nancy's grandson. ♥
Maybe it was because we sat on the front porch of what must be one of the oldest shacks in north Mississippi for nearly an hour waiting on dinner, but we talked about family history a lot. I asked about my grandfather - her father - because he is one of those people I never knew, and really, really wish I had. I learned he was never critical; he found something nice to say about anybody, and defended them outside of their presence. Even on his deathbed, he had one hell of a sense of humor. He and my dad were very close. He and his father originated a breed of chickens that excelled at cockfighting (one of his hobbies) - and family legend has it that Santa Ana offered to buy one of the roosters for its weight in gold. I learned that my grandfather was a friend to gypsies. He died when I was five years old, and I have very few memories of him. I can't help but wonder if he would like who I've become.
Saturday ended up being more of the same, since I helped Mom clean a bunch of my old stuff out of the attic of her house, which she's planning on selling in the near future. I found a bunch of my old yearbooks from high school and middle school - truly terrifying material from a time that wasn't always good to me. I found issues of my high school literary magazine, to which I was a contributor, and later the editor. (No, you are never allowed to see them, ever.)
I also found a box full of letters that family and friends wrote me in college. Because I am a roleplayer, a lot of them are written in character, addressed to and from fictional entities. I... can't remember who played some of those characters, so I have no idea who wrote me some of the letters. XD
Some of the letters from my family are an eerie look at the past, foreshadowing concerns that later became enormous issues. Some are really heartwarming, like the letter from my friend Nancy. Nancy was from my grandmother's era - a friend of the family with whom I kept in contact until she passed away. In the letter I've found, she writes about all the excitement surrounding my sister's wedding. My sister has since divorced that man, and is now married to Nancy's grandson. ♥
