The Object:
The Origin: My Paternal Grandmother, “Mimi”
The Backstory:
I moved from northern Virginia to west Texas two weeks after I turned nine years-old. This move took us away from a lot of family in the area, including my beloved Mimi.
Mimi knew how much I loved The Mini Page – a for-kiddies insert that came in the Sunday Washington Post. The newspaper in Midland, Texas, did not carry the insert, so Mimi collected them weekly and mailed them to me. Every week, in addition to The Mini Page, Kerry and I would get a letter.
The format was always the same – pastel paper, folded in thirds, sealed with a sticker.
The letter pictured tells about Mimi booking a flight to visit us in Rochester, New York (where we moved three years after our move to Texas). She also talks of gardening and watching a tape about Peter the Great. My grandmother loved all things Russian (especially Imperial) so this letter sums her up quite well (gardening + visit to her grandkids + learning about Russia). The most important part is at the bottom.
Read the rest of the series here.