Its been a while since i blogged so I'm going to have two back to back posts. This one is however important to me. About two weeks ago, I was helping my mother clean out her office, and we came across my grandmother's journal that she wrote the last year before she passed away. It was extraordinary to be introduced to this entire person that I never even realized existed or had the pleasure of knowing. This woman, whom I will call Julie, because it is hard to stitch together the memories I have of my gama (her nickname) and the woman that fills these pages. It was a pretty simple journal, yellowed at the edges and a paper covering of the same color; but within these simple covering lay prose and poems of incredible beauty, strength, and a air of class. I know that I'm carrying on, but it caught me completely by surprise, and I spent the rest of the day traveling through her last year. This lovely woman, who had Parkinsons by the way, somehow found the strength to write daily, searching for the disappearing parts of her former self. So I will say this to all of you: if you get the chance to see these fascinating sides of your family members, or others, cherish them. Its nice to know that I come from a history of people that can write. It was the highlight of my month.