Thank you to Nancy Noyes of Fremont for her lovely hand-written letter that came in the mail in early June. I am in awe of the beautiful cursive writing of some letter writers. A great-grandmother, Nancy recounted how she really dreaded acknowledging her 80th birthday a while back. Eighty seemed like a milestone that would confirm she is “old.” One of her granddaughters suggested that she just “skip it” and she decided that was a good idea.
A great-granddaughter was predicted to be born so Nancy called the soon-to-be mommy to tell her, “You’ve got 12 hours to give me a birthday present.” Her grandson Matt answered the phone. “Ah, Grandma,” he said, “we’re at the hospital.” And his wife, Summer, said, “Hi Grandma” from her hospital bed. Two hours later Josie Mae was born. “What a wonderful gift!” Nancy wrote. “I decided to have a birthday after all!”
Here is a story from Nancy’s friend, Gretchen. The family was planting their garden. A neighbor asked little Sarah what she was planting. Sarah said, “Marsh mellons.” She thought it was pretty silly when the neighbor told her marshmallows might come up!
Great-granddaughter Stella Mei recently turned 4 years old. She calls often and remembers when at age 3 she picked “toe mate o’s” from their garden. Her family lives in Tennessee and she is coming soon to do it again.
Nancy concluded by writing, “It is so important for us to make memories with our little ones. A benefit for all.”
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Nick Miller of Bluffton shared this conversation with his 4-year-old nephew:
Sebastian: Happy Father’s Day, Nick!
Nick: Thanks, buddy, but I’m not a father.
Sebastian: But daddies are boys.
Nick: But daddies have children.
Sebastian: But you have a piece of children. You have a nephew. It’s me, Sebastian. Happy Father’s Day, Nick! You’re the best!
Nick: You’re the best too, buddy!
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Luke, 3, is apparently very firm about his identity. He doesn’t do nicknames. If his father Steve tries to call him by something other than his name — something like “Sharkboy” or “Poopy” or “Sleepy Kid” — he will get upset and fiercely declare, “No, I’m Luke! I’m Luke!” The kid knows who he is, I guess. — Steve Garbacz, executive editor of The News Sun
“Don’t you wish sometimes you could go into those minds of little ones and look at the world like they do?” wrote Joyce. “Our Ruby (age 4) made us stop and think again.”
There has been a lot of “road kill” lately and when Ruby noticed two dead raccoons alongside the road she looked long, and then said with a big sigh: “Well, they didn’t look both ways!” — Joyce Crowl of northeast Indiana
Thank you for your letters, by U.S. mail and email. When you share your stories and photos through this column, you brighten the lives of many people. Please email me at ghousholder@kpcmedia.com or mail stories to me at 816 Mott St., Kendallville, IN 46755. Also, please share this column with friends and family — I would love to hear from them, too.
