Born 1884 - Minnie Mae Elvidge
I've heard all the reasons why it is important to keep a journal.
It helps us understand ourselves
. . . . and throws out a lifeline for our posterity to grab.Those are nice reasons,
they just weren't mine.
. . . . well, not the first one, anyway.
Nevertheless, rummaging through old photos and mementos
provides the perfect recipe for self discovery and
Eliciting "aha" moments.
Such as:
I know exactly where I get my nose. When I turn just so . . . I can see the precise bump on my nose that great grandmother, Minnie Mae had. I was sifting through old photos, and there she was, in profile, with an elegant hat (she was from England) . . . . and that slight bump on her nose.
. . . . I recognized in an instant.
it wasn't just a fluke of my DNA,
it was actually passed down . . . . connecting her . . . . . . . to me.
Likewise,
3rd Grade Report Card
Apparently, my social skills needed some work,
as stated in the first quarter's comments by Mrs. Bonnie Allen.
We all had a good laugh over my need "to develop a respectful attitude toward other children" and the low grades I received in being courteous, playing well with other children, and, of all things, Art.
Funny as it was, the uncharacteristic behavior got me thinking . . . .
Then, I remembered something else I did in third grade;
I ditched school one day,
spending the entire day up in a tree, in the park next to the school.
Wow! I thought.
Third grade was rough for
Little Miss Good Student
....she was a real BRAT !
. . . . Then came the aha moment !
Remember this picture of
Me, Richard and Marsha ?
I was 8 years old the summer my 2 ½ month old brother,
Richard, passed away.
It was a dreary summer; mom cried a lot,
The summer before third grade.
Aha
Suddenly, all that bad behavior made sense. My 8 year world had been distrupted; I was dealing with a huge family loss.
. . . . taking my friend’s crayons and spending the school day up in a tree were my ways of coping with it all.
I understood myself just a little better.
Thanks, blog.
6 comments:
So does the bump get bigger with each generation then? Because MINE is not the 'slight bump' you speak of... :)
And poor momma. A little 8 year old dealing with the woes of life. In my 23rd year, I discovered that my ridiculous, out-of-character behavior from 17 to 21 (as well as massive weight fluctuations) probably had a lot to do with coping with Brittany's car accident. That, too, was quite an 'Aha moment' for me.
That was a traumatic summer and 3rd grade year for you! It's surprising you didn't have more trouble. I was too little to understand Chrissy's possible outcomes with meningitis, (although I do remember it was serious b/c on day 1 of her illness discovery she woke up disillusioned and sick. While dad was holding her in our family room on Dunbar she said "I want my daddy," you guys took her to the hospital that day and I remember Mike and I having to drink some sort of medicine whenever we visited her that made our urine turn dark, which of course we thought was cool).
Anyway about the nose. I was actually thinking about my bump just yesterday because I was looking at the TV and when my nose came into view (as it does when we look lower) and it looked like I might have had an extra protrusion, possibly I scratched myself or a pimple). Rubbing my finger along my bump I discovered that alas it was just the bump, for whatever reason yesterday it looked bigger to me. We really all do look like Minnie Mae!
Now they require teachers to be very very sensitive to their students' home life.
I've never noticed the bump...gee, after all these years the things you learn! (I still don't really see it)
I remember talking and laughing with you about your report card when suddenly the "lights came on" and you linked those 2 events together. It was a tender moment!
About your class picture....
Every year when I was in grade school, I would have a crush on the girl I thought was the cutest in my class. I didn't plan on that, it just happened but it would make me nervous when I had to talk to that person. So scanning your 3rd grade class picture that old trait kicked in. I would have been VERY NERVOUS around you, especially if you were not "respectful ... toward other children".
Just so you know second place went to the girl just in front of you and to your left, the one with her comb tucked into her dress belt.
P. S. I just love this post!
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