History Imparted
These hands held so much history within their weathered veins and calloused knuckles. A life-long civil rights advocate, a Civil War guide at Gettysburg, a Korean War veteran, and a old soul who shared in my passion for the written word. I met him when he had been widowed just about a year. He shared his life story through the pages of his old typewriter. Upon knowing of his love for literature, I began to send him letters through the mail and old books from my local used bookshop. One of the books I sent him arrived around his eighty-ninth birthday. He wrote me a letter sharing how it brought tears to his eyes upon receiving it, because it was always his wife’s tradition to give him a book on his birthday. I cried. His letters to me always contained favorite quotes, the story behind old hymns, points from his history teachings as a professor, and so much more. Few people appreciate the depth of our elderly. At nearly ninety years of age, this man gave me a personally guided tour of the Gettysburg battelegrounds. History unfolded that day as I listened to his heart and watched how much these hands loved this country. If their stories are not written down and shared with future generations, those stories will simply be lost among tattered pages that are tossed away. He passed away the end of last year. My heart was broken at the loss of such a man but it left me grateful for the history he imparted during our time as friends.
History in Full Color
Taking a day to breathe in the autumn air and sip tea with a friend was a much needed respite. We visited the Anne Spencer Gardens in downtown Lynchburg. Anne was a recognized Harlem Renaissance poet, a librarian at Dunbar High School, and helped start the NAACP chapter in 1913 for Lynchburg, VA.
Her husband built their home on Pierce Street and added a cottage retreat inside the gardens for his beloved wife to write about nature. He called it Edankraal, part of their names, Edward and Anne, and kraal which means “enclosure.”
Both their residence and the cottage can be toured as well as the her magnificent gardens. Her garden has been restored with many of her original plantings, and is the only known restored garden of an African American in the United States. The home and cottage maintain 95% of the original furnishings with plenty of photographs to take visitors on a historical walk down memory lane.
Visit https://www.annespencermuseum.org to book a personal tour by Anne’s very own granddaughter. It is well worth your time and stop by during the seasonal changes, as the gardens change throughout the year!
Sincerely Scripted
“Crumbled papers lay scattered across the office floor. Tears brimmed the edge of her eyelashes, ready to cascade down her cheeks at any given moment. Where do you begin to write a handwritten letter to the father you’ve never met? Do people even write letters anymore? But Mila knew, in her heart, these words must be sent. She desperately needed to uncover her story. Regardless of the consequences, being raw and possibly disappointing, the truth had to be dug up.
It had been years of searching through any tangible piece of her past, in hopes of discovering where her life began. Mila was an old soul, though not yet having reached her twentieth birthday. If you knew even a fragment of her personality, you couldn’t deny she was old-fashioned in her beliefs and in her appreciation of the small details of life.”
Letters are a lost art, as if they have been tossed into an old shoe box and tucked away in the attic where the box forms a layer of dust an inch thick. Reading a handwritten note allows us a glimpse into a person’s heart. We imagine their frustration as we see the how the pen has been pressed hard against the lines of the paper or how their pain where the words begin to fade as tears have soaked through. Writing a letter demonstrates commitment and love for the recipient as you take time to read through the words chosen to convey specific emotions. A story is unfolded when a letter is written and again when it is read.
Consider the letters throughout history that have shaped people’s lives. Correspondence by government officials regarding major events, a love letter to a spouse overseas during wartime, or a suicide note left behind to explain actions…each of these are critical to understanding the whole story.
Advancement in technology has granted us speed in the writing and also in the delivery of information due to emails and texting. However, parts of the story that are conveyed through emotion are lost because of the impersonal nature.
I encourage my readers to take the time to sit down and pen a handwritten note. I believe it will not only impact the person who receives your letter, but also you as the writer. Enjoy the art of letter writing. It could be written to show support of a cause, allowing someone to know you believe in them, or sharing a memory with an aging grandparent. The written word is powerful. We make history every day; maybe, just maybe your letter will be filled with words that have the potential to change the future.
Mending Fences
A weathered board fence held up the daisies that grew without thought of which side they were facing. It stood as a property line between two yards, two families, and two colors. However, that old country fence was intended for sipping lemonades, swapping stories, and sitting next to new friends.
Jacqueline Woodson shares a beautiful story in her children’s book, The Other Side, about two young girls who grow up on separate sides of a fence and are told not to cross over. Yet, with time and courage, the girls come to realize that fence is made for sharing, no matter the color of your skin. E. B. Lewis illustrates beautifully with watercolor-like images the way friendship is meant to be shared.
First written in 2001, Woodson’s book and Lewis illustrations were presented at the Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College in Lynchburg, VA, the fall of 2019. The 10th Anniversary Edition is a reminder of hope for an even brighter future as “fences” continue to come down as we continue to learn more and appreciate cultural diversity among each of us.
In honor of Black History Month, this poignant story causes a tug at one’s heart. Praised by Booklist as “a must for the classroom, this will move many readers to explore their own family roots.” The School Library Journal claims it as “an outstanding tribute, perfectly executed.”
Pick up your very own copy from our local Givens Books/Little Dickens located conveniently off Route 221. You will not be disappointed in the lyrical prose or the artistry portrayed within the pages of this historical storybook.