The letter.

I don't remember my paternal grandfather, (he passed away when I was five), but it's said that he's the one to teach me words like Hell and Damn. When my mom cautioned him, he told her "hell woman, I don't cuss." And, hell I still don't cuss.  :)

My dad was an only child after his 3 year old brother passed away, and his parents divorced when he was young. When he married our mother, Dad became a member of a large family and they accepted him as one of their own.  It became a mutual admiration society for many years, and Dad loved visiting in W. Fla. down on the farm.

However, even though I never knew my dad's family, I do have a treasure, a piece of his history that I cherish.

The letter.

I don't know if you can read the date: l895

This is six pages written, front and back,

by my grandfather's sister, Jessie.

The writing is so small I have to

read it with a magnifying glass.

She speaks mostly about how happy she

is to receive letter from her siblings, and

hearing news of her nieces and nephews.

And, how she much preferred letters than gifts.

I read on the last page how many people this

had been forwarded to, and obviously ended

with my grandfather.  Her handwriting is beautiful

and her speech very meticulous.  I was shocked

when I learned (by reading her return address)

that she was a patient in an asylum in Kentucky.

I wish I could learn more about her; why she was

there, etc.  I've done some research on the hospital

and was amazed to learn the many different reasons

patients were there.  The terms bi-polar, mentally

retarded, developmentally delayed, down syndrome are not mentioned.  It's more like reading "panicked" "frightened of others" "suicidal".  What amazed me

most was reading how long those patients had lived

and then died there. Some over 40 years.

After reading my great aunt Jessie's words (which I've done several times), I feel a connection to her spirit, not entirely because I have bi-polar disorder, but because in my mind she loved and was loved by her family in

the same way I've always felt about mine.

  And, because, like myself, I'd much rather have letters than gifts for they are gifts in themselves that can be passed along for years afterward.  This one is a treasure that I hope will be passed down after me, and will be as appreciated.

Have a great day!