Some of the best stories one finds like ornaments hanging on the family tree are tales that the old folks, meaning my parents and grandparents and their generations of relatives, tended to ignore. They involved people only spoken of in whispers, the pretense that they did not exist carried to the very kitchens and workshops of these elders.
I did not hear these conversations. I learned of these adornments on the family tree long after I was well into an advanced age of my own. It took my enlightened generation to be willing to accept and explore the darker recesses of our heritage. Yet my sisters say, No, you may not share these tales.
10 comments:
Good for you, looking into the darker corners and accepting what you found there. These corners are, after all, part of the whole.
Seriously??! You are gonna say "Oh, I have a secret!" and then not tell us????
It's gonna drive me crazy all day. Thanks, Chuck.
Jim, thanks for your support. Truly, we are the sum of all the lineage to which we've been subjected!
Lin, well, yes. And I'm more than willing to let Chuck have the blame for this one.
Hey Dad, Lin's picking on me again and you're taking her side. Okay, I'm the one to blame, and that's okay. :)
As I've poked around the family history attic (or was it basement?), I've found a few things that will stay where I found them. I learned that from my Mother who never talked about "secrets" or confidential matters. She also believed that on wash day some items were allowed to dry inside and not hung on the outdoor clothesline where all the neighbors could see.
For Lin - it will probably drive me crazy too. However, in my case it won't take all day. It is, after all, a very short trip.
And probably was so hush-hush all those years ago is merely, barely interesting today. I much prefer those stories to the church bulletin approved ones - also I prefer to relate to the relatives who never appeared there but perhaps got a passing mention on the police blotter!
Chuck, or they were hung under a sheet, or at least on the middle of three loaded lines.
Grace, those were sometimes the more interesting stories, but one has to maintain a certain respect for the deacons amongst us. I guess.
Chuck, or they were hung under a sheet, or at least on the middle of three loaded lines.
Grace, those were sometimes the more interesting stories, but one has to maintain a certain respect for the deacons amongst us. I guess.
Like my mom, I blame whoever starts it. :P
You aren't gonna give us a clue, Vanilla?? Really???
You guys are just too nice to the gal who wrote the wrong name. I'm an idiot--go on, say it. :P
Lin, well, a clue would be tantamount to telling the story, so...
Paraphrasing a bit, I say, "Let the one who makes no error cast the first stone." Besides, you are one of us.
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