Ghosts of the past visited me last night. There were two of them, and if I'm honest with myself, they both died in the summer of 2014. In my dream, we were at a lake, looking for a picnic site. Mr X was planning a lakeside party to celebrate our anniversary, to make up for the one we missed this past summer. As we walked around, members of the Pride were there with us, including Cricket, my dear calico who died during that rough summer two years ago. She was curled up in my arms, blissfully happy to be with me again. I was equally thrilled to have her back with me. If there was a whole lot more to the dream, I didn't remember it. I woke up so melancholy, having to face reality that memories were all I have left of these once cherished parts of my past. The melancholia lasted all day.
I got to know someone new this evening. A woman joined our writers group two weeks ago, and this evening she gave a presentation on a project she's been working on for years. She and a good friend of hers from Missouri created a book series they call "Grannie Annie." It is published annually, and is a collection of family histories as written by children between the ages of 9 and 14. The children are encouraged to interview members of their families, and learn interesting stories about their relatives. They then write the stories in their own words, to submit to a selection committee. If they can include an illustration with their work, all the better. So far most of the stories have come from children in the US, but they can come from anywhere. The project has mostly been spread by word of mouth. Teachers have encouraged their classes to enter, and the Grannie Annie leaders are trying to engage with home schooling support groups and magazines as well. At the end of the presentation, our group made more marketing suggestions, like reaching out to library conventions, to encourage librarians to add these books to their collections. We read a few of the stories out loud, and were moved by the pathos and humor that these young people brought to their family histories.
Next week, our writing assignment is to create one of these family histories for ourselves. The main criteria, just as it is for the kids, is that we are to tell a story of something that happened before we were born. Not everyone has a parent, grandparent, aunts, or uncles left to interview. I am fortunate enough to have family left to interrogate. So, mom, be thinking of something I'm allowed to share. Maybe about our own Granny. That would be cool. Annie's Granny.
No comments:
Post a Comment