Life Letter
“The history of the world is not complete until your story is told. Your life is a legacy, a gift that only you can give. Like the campfires of old, stories light our way, stir our spirits, and warm our hearts.”
It is nearing the end of our stay here in Amsterdam; today we sat canal side enjoying the fragrance of spring and the warmth of the mid-day sun. This canal corner is one of the busiest of the Centrum, it being the entranceway for the river traffic – the entrance into the floating maze of the four main - 1280 bridged - canals. Bikes and vehicles are constantly mingling their ways through one another; makes me anxious.. It is chaos of movement and people watching at its best.
The accordion player was my muse today. While he serenaded us, my mind drifted back to my father; I closed my eyes and envisioned that it was his fingers moving across the accordion keyboard like he did when I was a child.
“Today, I hold close what memories I have of him and those I don’t have.”
I was born the last child of an already raised family; I have a different set of memories and a limited knowledge of my family’s legacy.
As I am passing through a time in my life that I crave to know more, I crave for that conversation I never had or the letter that was never written. I possess a few 3x3 black & white childhood photos but I have no words, nothing that describes what was in my parents’ or grandparents’ hearts.
A post-marked manila envelope arrived early February and I was curious as what was concealed inside. It was my birthday and this just seemed too oversized for a traditional birthday greeting.
Clipped together were several typed pages.. My eyes immediately glanced at the first words….
“Several memories are still very vivid and I will attempt to share them with you with this writing”
I felt clamminess in my hands and the fast pulse of my heart.. The words were traditionally aligned on the stark white typing paper. I hesitated to begin. I had the same anticipation a reader gets with a new book….
I held in my hand a Legacy Letter from my oldest sibling… beyond all my material wealth and possessions, this might be one of the most valuable gifts I have ever received.
…”These now have become the treasured memories that I didn’t experience but I hold closely… a true gift from the heart”…
