Forecast for the Future

"Every individual without exception bears a potential writer within himself. The reason is that everyone has trouble accepting the fact that he will disappear unheard of and unnoticed in an indifferent universe, and everyone wants to make himself into a universe of words before it's too late. 

Once the writer in every individual comes to life (and that time is not that far off), we are in for an age of universal deafness and lack of understanding."

- Milan Kundera, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Week 10, Thank You Letter #1: Grandparents

I am getting behind. Worn down by life and commitments. But here's the week's first thank you letter, finished last night and mailed today.

First I want to say thanks to Kristen C (or is it B now?), for giving me the idea for this week's project. It was a great idea and I'm glad she shared it with me.

I wrote this letter to both of my grandparents, who are two of the most important people in my life.

My grandfather is the sweetest, kindest, most gentle man who would give up anything he had without thinking to help the ones he loves. He took me to my first baseball game, he played catch me, he's driven me all over the place, he gave me a car when my first car died (I killed it, accidentally), he's even watched the dog of former my girlfriend. And none of this aid was provided out of duty or requirement, but love, always and always love, which is as clear in his eyes as is the disgust on his face at the mention of Dan Duquette, runner of the beloved Wade Boggs and Roger Clemens out of town.

And my grandmother, well, she is something else: there are not many people out there in the world like Dot Koeppel. A tough and powerful woman, she is a figure who almost towers over the lives of everyone who crosses paths with her; she is honestly a force to be reckoned with. Most importantly, I think she has taught me to value strength in women and to seek out for friends and lovers strong females who don't think twice about forming their own opinions and speaking their minds. More and more these kind of attitudes are common of women of my generation, which is makes me swell with joy, but they certainly weren't common in my grandmother's or even my mom's time.

My letter to them both just told them all of this and more. I haven't been the best at keeping in touch with them over these past few years since my parents separated and I graduated college, and I feel pretty shameful about it. But I hope to change my behavior so that they begin seeing and hearing more of me, and I thought this note of love and appreciation to them might be a good start.





Also nearly finished one to Isaac Brock, but does anyone have his mailing address? Can send to Sony obviously but any thoughts anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

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1 comment:

run.happy said...

Good job, Ben. I like that. I may do the same. Not every day for a week, though. Just when inspired.

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