Thursday, August 26, 2010

Thursday, 26 August 2010 -- Day 249 (262)

I think it has helped to get to bed at a reasonable time by doing this blog earlier, but it's not happening tonight.  After watching seven games of my daughters' volleyball teams and baking two pans of brownies for tomorrow night's tailgater, it's nearly after 10:30 at night.  This would've been just another typical day for Mom after washing, cleaning, cooking, mending, and making birthday treats for me to take to school or hand washing my softball uniform.  My great grandmother's journals were all about her typical daily activities, and it still amazes me how a woman in the late 19th and early 20th centuries never had time for herself b/c she was always doing for others. Not much changed w/ Mom in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.  I still believe that she kept a journal; I just haven't found it.  My sister gave her one for Christmas many years ago, and I thought one time she told me that she had filled it up.  Or maybe she said she needed to start writing to fill it up.  Why didn't I listen better then?  I keep thinking that tucked behind some casserole dish stored in a closet or some Christmas decoration stored in a drawer, her journal will be hiding, waiting to reveal all the secrets and feelings she was never able to verbalize to us.  There were so many times when she wished she had asked her dad more questions about her mother.  She never did, and when he died all his stories went w/ him.  I fell into the same trap b/c I didn't heed her warning.  I teach my students that 45% of our time is spent listening, yet most of us want to spend 100% of our time talking and that keeps us from listening well.  Take time to listen, it's the cheapest gift you can give.

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