I was looking thru old emails – trying to find something from 2003/2004 – and I came across this email I sent to my sister Bridgette. I was pretending to write an old-timey letter – hence the “pretend-ciousness”.
To: Bridgette · Mon, Aug 9, 2004 at 12:06 PM
my constant email buddy, what am i to do with you out of the office for the day? my correspondence will meet without reply on this sad day. i regret that you must be in gettysburg for training sessions on such topics that you have already mastered. your absence is sorely felt. i, however, must go on and despite the knowledge that i will not receive a response from you this day i shall continue to email.
i cannot manage to get my mind into my fingers this moment to type to you.
i shall try again, and this time i hope to encounter success. yes, here is inspiration to relay an incidence that occurred last night. little alanna, who is getting so big now, was sitting in dad’s chair looking hard at thought. as i went to sit in the chair next to her i asked her what she was doing. she responded: thinking. i hence forth asked “may i ask about what?” and she sat for one more moment thinking and then said “communion. i don’t know where i want to eat with gramma yet.” as i sat there in shock that her seven-year-old mind pondered long-term and immense affairs she continued: “i know what i want for a toy, but i still don’t know where i want to eat. actually, there are two things i want, in case i have one of them by then i have another one. at toys-r-us there is a barbie laptop with (specific features i cannot recollect) and also there are these headphones that you can plug into the laptop in case someone is on the phone and you want to listen to music and not be loud.” i was amazed. i told her “wow, you actually think about important things, i don’t think i ever did.” i then went on to say that it was good to think about these things and something else i hope she enjoyed hearing. mom then came into the room and sat with alanna in the chair, i believe in an effort to send her to bed. then alanna said “my communion’s too far away.” to mom. i forget mom’s reply, but it was probably something to the effect of “that’s nice get to bed.” and then “don’t go to sleep in those clothes.” she said “i know mom.” needless to say she made me smile, on my face and in my heart. i gave her a big hug before she went upstairs.
the whole day was a grand affair, from being named the midwest champions for gaelic football with you and the other banshees, attending the kennedy family reunion, and this delightful conversation with my littlest of sisters.
lots of love to you my biggest of sisters, your biggest little sister maureen 🙂
If you ever doubt if you should write, just write. Perhaps 20 years later you will read over what you once wrote and get to experience a memory you forgot you had.
Alanna is now almost 30. I wonder if her 2006 First Holy Communion lived up to her expectations. Right after her First Holy Communion our Gramma passed away. Our Gramma had always said she wanted to live to see each of her grandkids receive First Holy Communion and, with Alanna being the youngest, was granted her prayer-wish.
On that day our Gramma treated us to a meal at Eat n Park – a very special treat for a very special occasion since we essentially never went out to eat unless someone received a Sacrament. My Gramma had gifted me a 3MB digital camera and I have pictures of that day. They were special then but extra special later once life showed us that that would be our last time all together – and it was one filled with joy.
As I tear-up writing this I am grateful for this little journey thru an Email Time Machine I stumbled into. Yes, in case you’re curious, I did find the emails I was initially looking for – but I also found so much more.
[I cannot find the digital pictures at the moment but I’m one of those people that print out my photos… so I know I have them somewhere. And even without seeing the photos I can still see my Gramma’s smile.]
