Thoughts on "Writing"

Where does it all begin?? I know where I began writing, and I am sure you started there too. Sure you did!

It all began at school! Didn’t it?? Yes indeedee…. When I started writing we had writing teachers and writing class, & lessons in how to hold our pencils, how to sit, how to make our letters correctly. Years before they used to give out certificates and awards for good penmanship… I have some that belonged to my mother. I think I had writing classes up to at least 4^th or 5^th grade. You never turned in a messy paper. So at this time, it is just writing, to get your lessons done, and get a decent grade.
I can remember “playing school,” can’t you?? I would generally be the teacher.
Then I grew up and wrote to people in the armed services.. and friends or family that have moved away. Weren’t much into phone calls then… long distance was very expensive.
I remember when Bud’s mother & father moved to Florida for her health and the warm weather. I started just ‘answering’ her letters. Then I started writing to Aunt Evelyn, and Aunt Sue. Just trying to keep folks up on what our family was doing. Oh my mother-in-law would have a fit if she didn’t get at least one letter a week!! Then she would be calling up here; “Hey what’s the matter? Who’s sick?” Couldn’t be any other reason for not writing, could there?? Not to her!

As these 3 women would begin to look forward to the letters, I began to think… my this is not to interesting… lets jazz it up a little. I started marking when I would write one of them and then check the calendar for happenings that I could update them on.
Then when Bud and I would take a trip – go on vacation - I kept a sort of journal.. not real detailed, but it was helpful to let them know what we were doing and where we were. And for us to remember, “Where was that picture taken??”
Several years later the folks moved back up here, and I wasn’t compelled to have a letter in the mail once or twice a week anymore… they lived next door!
My 2 Aunts were not able to write much by now, so now we did the phone calls mostly. The writing is now dwindling and you sort of get out of the habit now. Even Bud’s friend Glenn is not writing much anymore.
Years back, Pastor Harris asks for an article for the Church newsletter. WHO ME??? You must be kidding!!!! But I wanted to help and so I just decided to write like I talk, IF that is possible, and not too bad. haha I didn’t do a lot, I would write once in awhile, when asked again. Then Brother Heard got here and he too, asked the church for input into the Newsletter to make it more interesting. (He really didn’t like writing for the paper at all, but as time went by he too, got better and better.) Well only a few of us plunged in… and really it is not that hard. (Like most things practice makes it better) Even now I am still at it with Bro. Hobbs as our esteemed ‘Editor.” I am not sure just how he feels about writing for the newsletter. The “Good News” newsletter began as Bro. Harris’ baby… and has continued. Well anyway ~ ~ ~

Bud’s elderly Uncle remarried and this sweet saintly woman of God was an “AVID” reader. She would bring home shopping bags of books from the library. When I finally met her I promised to write Frances and Uncle Louie. She would compliment me on my little letters. And now she wanted me to write and tell them of our trips out to California and back… Or any trips and just anything about what we were doing. She soooo wished she could still be traveling. But in ways she did, through her reading. So I began to write from my notes in the journal….but I began to hear her telling her wonderful tales to us. She told of her life in ‘book fashion’ – with details. NO story from her mouth was ever short or boring!!
So, Mary, I says to myself ~ you better get busy and fancy up, put a little flourish to the words, and learn some new words.… hahaha Like ~ Today in Northwest Indiana it is sooo clear and cool out, and our sky is filled with my favorite big puffy marshmallow clouds.. They are magnificent!!
My goodness Aunt Frances just ate up it stuff. And I know that she was being kind in some ways too, but I think she did like my letters. Her encouragement from then on helped me, to try to do better with each letter/ or "vacation report."
Did you know that all of us, no matter where we live, do have marshmallow soft puffy clouds we would like to sit on?? A lot of writing comes from “seeing” things. Noticing things.. Look up! Look around! Think a little. I have sung of “Amber waves of grain” but not till we were out west in crop growing season time did I ‘see’ it for myself.
Soooooo from Aunt Frances, to me, to you….. Yes you can write!! You just have to start ~ be yourself ~ and look around! Notice things, take notes. And even you can report for the “Griffith Good News.” What is happening in your class? At a get together? Or the last thing that blessed you at Church? Plus it may be good History Keeping for the family.
So come on!! Get those brains and fingers working together and start! Even if it is only a couple of paragraphs long that will do. (As A Start.)
Who knows where it will lead? But this I do know this for sure, it will surely brighten someone’s day, and I hope that someone is little ole me.
Till next time,