Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Grandma’s Hands Taught Me How to Write



Sitting at my grandmother’s feet watching her write in her small journal is what I remember most about her.  She left this world on August 3, 2016 at 9:30 AM.  I found out at 10:03.

All I’ve been able to think about is her sitting in her brown or green recliner, picking up her small notebook from a flowery decorated tray table sitting on the left side of the recliner, and writing something in it.  She never wrote for a long time, though.  It always seemed to be no more than one or two sentences.  That is the memory that I see when I think of my grandmother.

She’s the first person I saw write.  She’s the first image I have of someone putting pen to a piece of paper and writing something on it.  That’s why I began journaling… because I saw my grandmother, Bertha Allen do it.  She was my introduction to writing.

I have writing in my DNA.  I was blessed with the gift on my father’s side as well.  He’s a writer.  Funny thing is… my father likes to cook, too.  The boys, my two brothers got the cooking gene, and my sister and I got the writing gene.  I laugh every time I think about that.

I have been writing since I was nine years old, when I wrote a poem for an Easter program at my church.  After that, I began writing almost every day.  I always had a pen and some paper, usually a small notebook like my grandmother had on her tray table, in my hand.  Jotting down and observing the things around me became a quotidian task.  I know I got on people’s nerves.

I still love to write today.  I still get excited when I get an idea for a story or poem.  I still get emotional when I experience the emotion of one of my characters.  I still feel a sense of pride when someone says they enjoyed my writing.  I laugh as I read an old story, poem, or essay I wrote.  Looking at my writing portfolio gives me pleasure, as I reflect on the skills I have learned over the years.  I get a moment of joy when I complete a writing job.

I’m a writer because God gave me that talent.  But, my grandmother is the person who opened my eyes to the gift that I had inside.  She started me on my path as a writer.

Prayerfully, one day, I can do the same for some young writer.