When you were young, did you keep a diary? I did, and I think many girls from my generation did too. My grandma Newton kept journals throughout her life, and my mother is the caretaker of them right now. Someday I'm going to read them.
I've always loved my grandma's pretty handwriting:
It's going to take a long time to read all these journals. There are stacks and stacks of them:
I think it's nice to learn about the way your parents and grandparents lived before you came into their world. In the picture below, my grandma is in the back row with her hand on her friend's shoulder (far right):
My grandma was a teacher for a while, just like my mom, and I've been working with elementary school kids as a school psychologist. All three of us graduated from Central Michigan University (previously Central Michigan College).
This picture of my grandma and her students touches my heart, because the boy in the front row (left) has no shoes. A poor farm boy from mid-Michigan whose parents wanted him to get an education:
Once my grandparents were married, they lived in a tent on the beach in Florida while my grandpa worked on the highways there. I'm sure there are some interesting journal entries about that!
They became restaurant owners together and worked very hard, escaping the Great Depression by serving delicious dinners for 25 cents. My grandma's journals include mention of the events they catered, the items on the menu, and other minutia.
Of course, once grandchildren started arriving, I'm sure there's a lot of space dedicated to them, including yours truly! Here I am holding my Raggedy Ann and Andy that my grandma made especially for me:
Once my grandparents retired from the restaurant biz, they began a smaller business at Crystal Lake in Michigan:
Besides the everyday notes, the weather, and the mundane, I think journals served as a therapeutic outlet for people born in an era when the notion of going to a therapist/psychologist/counselor wasn't accepted. A little writing here and there was a way of unloading your frustration with something and getting it off your chest. The next day was always a clean sheet of paper, waiting to be written upon.
Do you keep a journal? I don't. I'm writing two blogs, and that's all I can handle right now!
Mitzi
