Tuesday, September 28, 2010

...across the room to share some memories...


AHHHH the memories we keep!
Tonight as I was cleaning a cupboard I came across a "treasure box" of mine and found some surprising memories lurking in there! Like....a birthday card from my sister Jean (now in heaven). I had sent her some scented candles, socks and home made cookies for her birthday one year. In her birthday card to me a few weeks later she wrote..."love the socks! Candles smell sooo good (not terribly eucylyptusee), cookies only mildly tasted of eucylyptus HA!. I decided for my next b'day I would like one of your famous choc. cream pies! Ha!"
My Mom stayed with our girls for a few days and left notes for me, mostly crazy humour type notes. An excerpt from one page went like this "I owe you a wooden spoon. No, I did not hit either of your daughters over the head with it. I'll explain later, if you must know!" And another excerpt "Boy! This house has some weird goings-on. All of a sudden the radio in Peter's office is on, so I go and check the switches, OK, that says OFF. I know I'm not very smart, but I can read enough to understand OFF or ON, LEFT or RIGHT, FOR or AGAINST, but do you think that idiot machine would shut up? No way! So I did find one button so it was at least quieter, and I shut the door, so I could watch T.V.!"
Then there was the note from my niece Jordana who had just visited our place "Auntie Elayne: I like how we played tag first day if you read this you are tagged. I love you! Jordana".
This last excerpt is from a letter my sister Phillis wrote to me quite a few years ago: "Have you managed to pick up some furniture yet? If you wait a little longer I may have a lovely green floral set. Only slightly?? used. You could build your living room around this couch and chair. Believe me I'ld like to build a room around this set and seal the door so no one would ever have to look at it again!!"
My Mom wrote lots of letters after we moved and I cherish them so much now that she is gone. One letter in particular mentions my sweet Aunt Kay who was succumbing to dementia. She wanted my Mom to take her to the post office so she could cash her pension cheque. When they got to the lawyers office which was their first destination that day she wanted the receptionist there to cash her pension cheque. Then she told another aunt that she and my Mom did not go to Mr. Doerksen's funeral, they just went to his social (she meant the viewing). So she kept Mom in stitches some of the time and completely at her wits end the rest of the time but gave her lots of material for her letters to me! Thanks for the memories everyone! There are many more where those came from :)

6 comments:

Michele said...

You had me laughing out loud! I too have a box of letters...many are from you! A few are from Dad, some cards from Grandma, Aunts and Uncles. It's awesome to be able to go back to those letters and think about the people who have loved and supported you through life. What a precious family we have!

Jobina said...

Those are the kind of things that are so wonderful to find! What great memories, I could just picture Grandma through those words and Auntie Jean with a piece of pie. I love those two!

Elayne said...

Yes Michele we do have a very precious family. Jobina I know what you mean about visuals of those two! I miss them even more when I find stuff like this around. I'm glad I'm not into "over-purging" so I keep these memories around! LOL

Anonymous said...

Dear Elayne,
I too have a few of those kinds of treasures.Very precious indeed.

mrg

Jordana said...

I LOVE memories! That is why I take so many photos!
I love seeing piles of random letters around my mom's house from all her sisters... I'm sure it's such precious memories for her, even if they don't say anything "important."
I wish I could be faithful enough to write a journal... like Grandma Eva did.
I too have a box of letters and things. I have every birthday card Grandma Eva gave me in a special place and I love reading them when I miss her.
Auntie Elayne, if you read this, you are tagged! and I still love you!
Family, I love you all!!
:)

Elayne said...

Memories come in many forms Jordana and you are great at photo memories!
I too have begun many journals. I always think if I buy a pretty journal I'll be more faithful writing in it but it hasn't worked so far. So what I decided to do is just simply journal when I have something I feel like writing about. Like this blog!
Did you ever think of just starting your own blog? Just a thought.
TAG!