Written in 1999 for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary and inspired by Ian Ross' character "Joe from Winnipeg". Posted now for my family and friends celebrating Thanksgiving...
Hey you guys, this is me, Conni from Clandeboye, and today I’m gonna be talking to you about saying thank you, cuz I was thinking about how my Mom and Dad had been married for fifty years and how we were gonna have a party and their friends and family were gonna come over and it was Thanksgiving weekend, too and some people couldn’t come cuz they were gonna be having Thanksgiving dinner with their families, and what should I say to all these people and to Mom and Dad?
And so I got thinking about saying thank you and how I learned about saying this from my Mom and Dad in different ways, cuz they were each different but some things were the same, too and they always kinda went together some how.
So anyways, I remembered my Dad’s old aunts and we always called them “the aunts” or “the great aunts” and every Christmas they sent us presents from all over the place, like Portugal and Japan and Holt/Renfrew and everywhere and they were usually really good presents but then we had to sit down and write a thank you note and sometimes I didn’t really feel like it but I did it cuz I had to and I usually felt like I had done the right thing after I had mailed it cuz I guess if the aunts could think of getting a present for me while they were busy travelling I guess I could take a few minutes to say thank you. And you know, every year I got more gifts from them and they never forgot about me and my sisters and my Dad was happy that we did the right thing cuz that was his Mom’s sisters and that’s important. And I guess that they probably liked my little notes on my little kid's paper cuz then they knew that I liked my present and that I liked them, too.
So anyways I got thinking about my Mom and I got thinking about her Mom and how they taught me to say thank you in Danish after supper. So when Gramma would come to visit and she would make her skinny pancakes or something and I would finish eating I would say, “Tak fa ma” or “Tak” and Mom and Gramma would look happy cuz I was saying thank you and I was saying it in Danish so I guess they knew that I liked the pancakes and I liked Danish stuff and that was important, too.
So anyways, now it’s Thanksgiving time and it’s Mom and Dad’s anniversary so I’ve got a few reasons to say thank you. I gotta say thank you to all the people who couldn’t come today cuz they’re with their families for Thanksgiving cuz it’s important to be with your family at least some of the time and I’m happy that that’s what they’re doing. And I gotta say thank you to all the people who could come today cuz it makes Mom and Dad happy to see all of you and give you something to eat and drink and have fun together and remember some of the things you’ve done together. And that’s important. And it’s kinda like saying thank you to all of you for being part of their lives. And I really gotta say thank you to Mom and Dad cuz they had me and my sisters and they always stuck by us when we were happy and especially when we weren’t, and they stuck by each other, even though they were different but somehow always kinda the same. So what’s up with that? Anyways, they’ve been married for fifty years now so I guess they figured out what they’re doing and I guess they got it right. So thank you and tak to Mom and Dad for teaching me about saying thanks and for teaching me some other stuff, too. Cuz that’s important.
I’m Conni from Clandeboye. Tusind tak!
©Conni Cartlidge, 1999
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Aunties & Aunts
Our extended family was just that: stretched out, prolonged, intense, moving at full stride. They lived far away from us. They were sometimes hard to keep track of. They were fun sometimes, and sometimes not. In spite of all the obstacles, Mom made sure we knew them all. For they were our family.
Auntie Thora was the eldest and most glamorous. We had seen many pictures of her, with a dramatic gray streak in her hair and a cocktail in her hand. She lived in exotic San Francisco. She had been divorced. (What a scandal!) She had two wild sons who we discovered were NOT glamorous. Her California home had windows that stretched from floor to ceiling. Despite the distance, Mom had us visit the Gould family. For they were our family.
Auntie Anna, the middle aunt, was fun. She could skip double dutch and do the jitterbug. She lived on a farm in Saskatchewan which we also considered glamorous in an earthy sort of way. She had SIX kids so there was always someone to play with. She could get the giggles just like a schoolgirl, and sometimes she was very sad. She was so real that we always cried when we left Sturgis. Despite the emotions, Mom had us visit the Paton family. For they were our family.
Auntie Alice was the youngest aunt. She, too was an American and had grown up there, far away from Mom. She had interesting American food like Danish Jelly and fruit cocktail cake and macaroni salad. She had an American accent and so did her three kids. She had another Mom, which somehow seemed to make perfect sense to us when we were small. She made us laugh when she worried and fussed about things. She welcomed us into her home. Despite the cramped quarters, Mom had us visit the Chamley family. For they were our family.
And Mom did not stop with her own siblings. She initiated and nurtured a loving relationship with Dad’s family, too. Now these members were known as the Aunts for they were far too distinguished and dignified to be called “Auntie”. They lived in Ottawa and Montreal and they were beyond glamorous. They were upper class, they were old money, they were professionals, and most of them were unmarried and extremely independent. They traveled around the world and bought us gifts that were unlike anyone else’s on Sutherland Avenue. They rang a small bell to summon their maid. They were Con, Doss, Ruth, Mary and Olive. They helped to raise our Dad. They were our family.
I hope that I have learned from Mom. With nephews and a niece in Edmonton, Vancouver and Thunder Bay, I hope I can build those family connections in spite of distance, emotions, space or class. For they are my extended family.
©Conni Cartlidge, 2010
Auntie Thora was the eldest and most glamorous. We had seen many pictures of her, with a dramatic gray streak in her hair and a cocktail in her hand. She lived in exotic San Francisco. She had been divorced. (What a scandal!) She had two wild sons who we discovered were NOT glamorous. Her California home had windows that stretched from floor to ceiling. Despite the distance, Mom had us visit the Gould family. For they were our family.
Auntie Anna, the middle aunt, was fun. She could skip double dutch and do the jitterbug. She lived on a farm in Saskatchewan which we also considered glamorous in an earthy sort of way. She had SIX kids so there was always someone to play with. She could get the giggles just like a schoolgirl, and sometimes she was very sad. She was so real that we always cried when we left Sturgis. Despite the emotions, Mom had us visit the Paton family. For they were our family.
Auntie Alice was the youngest aunt. She, too was an American and had grown up there, far away from Mom. She had interesting American food like Danish Jelly and fruit cocktail cake and macaroni salad. She had an American accent and so did her three kids. She had another Mom, which somehow seemed to make perfect sense to us when we were small. She made us laugh when she worried and fussed about things. She welcomed us into her home. Despite the cramped quarters, Mom had us visit the Chamley family. For they were our family.
And Mom did not stop with her own siblings. She initiated and nurtured a loving relationship with Dad’s family, too. Now these members were known as the Aunts for they were far too distinguished and dignified to be called “Auntie”. They lived in Ottawa and Montreal and they were beyond glamorous. They were upper class, they were old money, they were professionals, and most of them were unmarried and extremely independent. They traveled around the world and bought us gifts that were unlike anyone else’s on Sutherland Avenue. They rang a small bell to summon their maid. They were Con, Doss, Ruth, Mary and Olive. They helped to raise our Dad. They were our family.
I hope that I have learned from Mom. With nephews and a niece in Edmonton, Vancouver and Thunder Bay, I hope I can build those family connections in spite of distance, emotions, space or class. For they are my extended family.
©Conni Cartlidge, 2010
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