Painting by Joyce Meik
The other day while I was dejunking.... okay in reality I was just rearranging all my junk (please tell me I'm not the only one who has such a hard time throwing things away) I found a Valentine's Day card. It was from my Grandma Meik. Growing up I was always able to count on getting a homemade card from my Grandma on holidays. The cards were only officially from her on birthdays, but I always knew where the others were coming from. Example: The St. Patrick's Day cards were always from a leprechaun.... yet the return address was the same town as my Grandma's.....fishy.
When I opened the Valentine's Day card inside it said "from ?" That's when I remembered the moment I opened the card for the first time. I was a freshman in college living in a cold, new place. It was 2010. Opening the card and seeing a two dollar bill(something she always included in her cards) provoked some major crying. It wasn't that I needed just two more dollars at the time, it was because her consistency and love made me feel at home when I was far from it. I like how she tried to add some mystery to my 18 year old Valentine's Day by signing the card with a question mark.
I love the example my Grandma set in thinking of others. In her dining room, next to her calendar, she had a list of all the family birthdays happening in the current month. She was excellent at sending birthday cards. Another way she would show her thoughtfulness is through saving newspaper clippings/ magazine articles she thought you would be interested in. When I declared myself an Art History major and word got to Grandma I was sent a newspaper clipping about a local art historian in her area within a month. I can't remember what the article was about but I remember feeling loved and thought of. When my family would visit her when I was even younger she would sometimes have a magazine clipping of a perfume sample to give to me and Randee. I thought it was so fancy. Womanly-smelling piece of paper. She knew how to make people feel special.
I love the example my Grandma set in thinking of others. In her dining room, next to her calendar, she had a list of all the family birthdays happening in the current month. She was excellent at sending birthday cards. Another way she would show her thoughtfulness is through saving newspaper clippings/ magazine articles she thought you would be interested in. When I declared myself an Art History major and word got to Grandma I was sent a newspaper clipping about a local art historian in her area within a month. I can't remember what the article was about but I remember feeling loved and thought of. When my family would visit her when I was even younger she would sometimes have a magazine clipping of a perfume sample to give to me and Randee. I thought it was so fancy. Womanly-smelling piece of paper. She knew how to make people feel special.
I'm grateful to have had such a great Grandma in my life.
And I'm grateful for my pack rat behaviors. If they were not part of me I probably would not have fallen upon a card with a question mark in it and been reminded of my Grandma's love that day.
Saving things can be a good thing.
Please don't quote me on that when you are on hoarders.
..... and please don't throw that in my face when I'm on hoarders.
Sweet....nothing better than notes and cards from those you love. I have several cards I hang onto from my Parents and I treasure them. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete