A year ago my mom passed away and I've been thinking about her, my childhood, my kids relationship with her, and such. Most of the memories have one thing in common.
WORDS.
Spoken Words: Mom was always there with the right words, not necessarily the words you wanted to hear, but the words you needed to hear. She'd call both my kids on their birthday, at the exact time they were born, one at 7:04pm and the other at 4:07 am (sometimes she'd wait a couple hours with this call!). Mom often corrected grammar, in a non condescending way that you'd remember the next time. Her legacy continues to do the same.
Written Words: Letters to us while in college, a message on a birthday cake, or an email with a creative rationale why she missed St. Nick's day were well received. Mom was also well known as The Grammar Police, evidenced by pointed letters to the editor of a newspaper or magazine correcting grammar or a postponed college tuition payment until grammar was corrected on the notice were not uncommon.
Read Words: I remember her reading to all five of us each evening. I specifically remember listening to Brighty and the Grand Canyon and Gulliver's Travels, along with so many others. Grandchildren and great grandchildren would almost storm my parents home when they visited looking for the book, Big Dog, Little Dog. Each Christmas everyone received a book. The homes of my siblings, children, nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews are FILLED with books of every sort.
Remembered Words:
"I'd rather you not get along for the childhood years but be friends for the rest of your years." "Try." "You don't give yourself enough credit." "What exactly did your brother say to you to convince you to stay in college? "This is a hands in the pocket store."
(Translation -Don't touch anything).
Playing with Words: The favored games in my family were Boggle and Scrabble. The pinnacle of a young grandchild’s life was when they were able to finally beat grandma in Scrabble or Boggle. To this day, score sheets are still in the possession of the winner. Each household has their own copy of both games and are expected to be played during a visit. Puns and plays on words were also a constant in our lives.
Think about your words and your legacy.
You are writing them everyday.
