One of the things I mentioned in that posted was the not-quite-coincidence that Whit's favorite animal in DON'T FEED THE BOY is the giraffe --- and in a letter my mother wrote to her mother, she said that my favorite animal was also the giraffe!
Here's the actual text, from a letter titled "Dear Mama & Ray" on January 18, 1975:
"After naps when we returned to the Alshaik Hotel, we went with some friends to the Riyadh zoo. Friday is the only day you can go in mixed company, and then only from 2-4 pm. It closes at 4 and we arrived around 4:30 when everyone was leaving. Our friend, who is Egyptian and speaks Arabic, was able to get us in any way. We had the whole place to ourselves and got to see all the animals being fed. The zoo was as everything else here - Dirty! Irene had wanted to go ever since we have been here so she was especially happy. The one thing she wanted to see was the giraffe."
Thank you, Mama, for writing home to your mama... and for sharing these letters with me!
I cannot imagine how ecstatic I'd be if I came across a letter like this about me! Thanks for sharing this. The circle of life keeps proving itself, doesn't it?
ReplyDeletePam, it really is amazing the bits tucked away in the nooks and crannies of the ol' noggin. And yes, I am so grateful for these words and the glimpse into my younger self/past life. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteHi Irene. This is just lovely, to find a little piece of you from far away. And it's so intriguing to think that the giraffe showed up again. The brain indeed works in mysterious ways.
ReplyDeleteYes, Linda! And what else it makes me want to do is be sure to include lots of details for my own kids. My mom's letters say as much about her as they do about the things she's writing about. It's really a treasure. Thanks for reading!
DeleteThat is so cool! What a treasure. Did you already know you had this letter? Did you just find it? I'd like a little back story here!
ReplyDeleteDoraine, my mom shared these with me AFTER I wrote DON'T FEED THE BOY. :) I've learned so much about myself and my family's adventures. Thanks for asking.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun story! We are not a family of savers. If my mom ever wrote to her mom about me (which I doubt), that would be such a fun find to have it now, as an adult. Love this!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure my mother would want to write home to the family about my adventures.... a day at the creek ... me playing pranks on everyone and then trying to drown a boy that was being mean to my brother.... ehhhh not writing home stuff :)
ReplyDeleteBut you and I have let our kids lots of inside information about us... the blog... our writing... your good poems and my bad ones.