Saturday, March 03, 2012

Letters from Schoolmates: A Collection of Notes c.1932-1933


The other day, we found a treasure in a dusty old box in the corner of our basement. The box contained a yellowed autograph book that belonged to a 15 year girl named Martha. She turned out to be my wife's grandmother who lived to be 87, and only passed a few years back. This treasured time capsule contained beautiful & witty notes from her teenage friends at Marshall High in 1932.

There's something captivating about the poetry, the penmanship, and thoughtful spirit of these youth memorialized in these pages. It's a stark contrast to the flippant text messages and empty e-mails we offer today. I was struck that this is 1932-1933, during the deepest and darkest part of the Great Depression. And yet, these young hearts and minds are as resilient as ever.

For the month of March, I'll post a new note every couple of days.  Today's line:

"Love is a funny thing, something like a lizard. 
It wraps itself around your heart and jumps into your gizzard."




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