I found an old box in the garage. It had old baby toys from when Bossman was a baby and we had them for our own kids. There were old pictures, there were old cards and there were old letters. I found a report card from kindergarten. My report card. I don’t even remember kindergarten.
Funny thing is, there isn’t that much left from my childhood. There aren’t that many pictures of me as a child, nor are there any toys or clothes. We moved around a lot and my parents didn’t have a lot of money, so it’s not surprising that there isn’t much left from my childhood.
That box is full of pieces of my life.
It seems I was a great kid. I got great grades in kindergarten! My teacher liked me. I found report cards from other grades and I was a decent student.
I found notes that I had written to my friends in high school. Apparently writing notes was a big deal in high school. We were bored in class so we would write epic novels to our friends and we expected them to write us epic novels back. Remember, we didn’t have cell phones, computers and text messaging. I found myself sad that my daughter wouldn’t have memories like mine in a box, because it’s all on texts and computers now.
I also found love notes that I had written to Bossman. Notes that I wrote to him when we were first dating, notes I wrote when we were first married.
Some of these notes were funny, some were sad, some were excited. I had written how I couldn’t wait to grow up. I had written about how horrible my parents were. I had written how I wondered where my life was going to end up. Each of those notes hold a piece of me. They are me, as a young girl, trying to figure out this thing we call “life”.
As I looked through the box, I thought about my kids. I realized that someday, my kids, would have to sort through that box. What would they think of me? They will probably laugh at my goofiness. I know they will laugh at the fashion….does anyone have a good picture of themselves from the 80’s? I hope they will be proud of me and I hope they realize that where I came from makes me who I am. All those pieces of my life helped to make me and in turn, helped make them.
I doubt anyone is interested in the pieces of my life, but I wonder….
What are the pieces of your life and what do they say about you?
P.S. This is video is so funny. I dedicate it to all the moms out there!
Oh grace....what a beautiful mix of laughter and poignancy here this morning.
ReplyDeleteI recently did a HUGE life laundry exercise and, yes, coming across those little things from our past bring back all sorts of things we forget. Mine made me smile.
You know I thought when you said 'these notes held a little piece of me' that maybe that's what our postings do too isn't it. Our 'classrooms' have just got bigger. We still pass notes to our friends through postings and comments. I kinda like that analogy *smiles*
The video is HILARIOUS. Should have watched it before I put my makeup on, cos now I have to go redo my mascara! Thanks for sharing that....I think I'm going to have to go and add it to my favourites for any time I want a giggle.
love and hugs xxx
ps....my word verification this morning is 'hystendo' lol....won't tell you were THAT took a strange mind!
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ReplyDeleteSomeday you kids will love that box. I can tell you this from experience. I have my mom's old diary and the letter she exchanged with her brother's and others during WW11. Then mean a lot to me.
ReplyDeleteI started keeping a diary at the age of 15 - I kept it religiously for the next 16 years and sporadically after that until I began blogging. We are talking about nearly 35 years of writing! Some day I'll get the nerve to read it all again - maybe.
Hugs,
PK
Oh Grace thanks for the funny video,I really love that song.I to exchanged notes to my friends in class,spent more time doing that then school work actually-lol. Gotta love the 80's. I suspect we are around the same age,and like you I have kept alot of the notes to.
ReplyDeleteKristy
Oh Grace, I was a little sad reading your post, we moved around a lot and over time pieces of my life have got lost, I only have a few pictures of my parents and grandparents some letters but plenty I remember which I thought I should write down.
ReplyDeleteHave also moved around a lot since I met P but I have made sure I've kept everything. Our son and his family will look through them one day and laugh at the things we got up to and did and I also hope he will be proud of us.
I also have a box for my son, cards he sent us, his first drawings, school reports, his exam results, holiday photos and awards even the hospital tag when he was born. I am in the middle of making a photograph album for him from when he was born until now, 21 soon.
Love the video, thank you Grace.
Ronnie
xx
IF you are me, then you would scratch your head, wonder what in the world you are doing, and why two dating couples would ditch a dating series to go listen to a money talk while pondering stabbing yourself in the eye with a blunt object. 14 years of youth ministry has taught me I don't know jack about teens.
ReplyDeleteGrace, that was sweet. I have all my report cards since grade 1. Needless to say, my alter ego's name was well-chosen.
ReplyDeleteEighties styles? Yikes! I go farther back than that, and it ain't a pretty sight. At least Ron looks like Buddy Holly in his old high school pictures.
Hugs,
Hermione
I have a few photographs and some drawings I did from my childhood. I didn't save the letters my ex and I wrote each other in school. I sort of wish I had now but it was too painful for me to keep them around after our divorce. Plus I didn't want anyone else finding them; a lot of what we wrote was sexual and I'd be horrified if my kids found those, lol!
ReplyDeleteBtw, that video, yes, it's funny, I've watched it before, love the ending "I'm the MOM!" yes. It struck me, though, that I never gave my kids vitamins, nor do I take vitamins. Didn't take prenatal vitamins when I was pregnant, either. Lucy's prenatal vitamins made her sick so she had to stop taking them. But we're all very healthy despite this and my babies were big and healthy. Lucy is just blooming with health and I see no reason why her baby won't be; she's HUGE. I think vitamins are a huge rip-off and even medical science goes back and forth on their value.
Oh and guess what my word verification was? Best EVAR! I laughed so hard when I saw it!
PowerSub
I kid you NOT! ahahahah That's me! I'm a PowerSub! ahahahah! :)
Grace:
ReplyDeleteI just loved this post, it was like taking a trip down memory lane. I don't have any notes that I passed around in class, but I do have my autograph books from graduation from 6th grade and High School and they are so much fun to look at. Do kids even do that anymore? My parents saved my class pictures from Kindergarten (there was no nursery school or day care when I was growing up!)all the way thru High School and its so much fun to look back and see how different the hair styles and kids clothes were back then.
The video was hysterical, I have said many of the same things she sang about.
A gorgeous post Grace, thank you.
Take care
AG
Grace,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your memories. I don't have much of my childhood left, either. Love the video, thanks
A lovely, thoughtful post. I love the pieces of you and so true how all of the pieces make us complete and who we are. All the experiences help us to grow. I do not have notes passed in school...but I do have pictures, and letters, and cards...alot I still wish to go through and say good-bye to as I cleanse my home...but there are some I will hold onto...I have never kept a jounal, but I wrote about how I felt the day I discovered I was going to be a mommy and the days both my children were born and I have kept every letter exchanged between my husband and me while we were dating...memories... :-) And thanks for the smile :-)
ReplyDelete