Day 2 of 31 Letters – “My First Journey”

LITERACY is all about WORDS – Written, Spoken, Felt.

It is the most amazing and magical feeling to see and hear words that come to life in letters.  In our 31 Letters Project, your children will have the feeling each day for 31 days to live and re-live the experiences of YOUR childhood… in your own words and in your own handwriting.

Yesterday’s prompt was about YOUR FAVORITE or MOST SPECIAL childhood toy.  If you didn’t have time to write this letter, do it today.  Mail it today.  Let the magic begin.

Today’s prompt is about JOURNEYS, based on a poem we discovered on Day 2 of our 365 Days of Literacy for Kids.  The poem is Wild Goose, Wild Goose by Issa, and is a simple poem with a entire world of magical journeys in its little question:

WILD GOOSE, WILD GOOSE by Issa

Wild goose, wild goose,
At what age
Did you make your first journey?

Think about your first journey, the first journey you remember well. Write a letter to your children/grandchildren/niece or nephew/special child telling about that journey.  It will be like traveling there all over again, but his time in the extraordinary company of these most special children!  This is my letter to my grandchildren today, which I will be copying in my own hand and mailing to each of 3 families:

Dear_______________ (names of children),

Hi, my little darlings!  This is Day 2 of our 31 Letters, and this letter is about my first journey.

I have taken many journeys in my lifetime, but this one was very special and I want you to know all about it.

It was a long, long time ago.  I was 5 years old and my family was moving all the way across the country from Boston, Massachusetts to San Diego, California.  My Dad was in the Navy and he had been transferred.  My Mom could have stayed back in Boston with lots of family, but my parents thought it was very important for all of us to be together.  We would be gone for over three years.

I remember saying good-bye to my Nana and my aunts and uncle and cousins.  I remember sitting in the back seat of our car and everyone waving as we pulled away.  I remember my Mom crying a teeny bit, trying to hide her tears from me and my two brothers.

I know I maybe shouldn’t be telling you this, but I remember fighting with my brothers on that journey!  We fought about who had the most room in the back seat of our car.  We fought about who had the windows.  We fought about who was singing too loud or even breathing too loud.  We fought about who had the most snacks.  Isn’t it funny that I don’t ever want you to fight with your siblings but I was the worst fighter of all!?

Our first stop on our journey was in Michigan where my Dad’s family lived and worked on their farm.  My grandparents’ farm was like heaven to me.  There was a big barn and a big tractor that my Grandpa used to give us kids rides.  There were cows and chickens and a big rooster.  There were acres and acres of fields with fruits and vegetables.  There was a farm house that had an upstairs with big bedrooms.  That’s where we slept.  There were cousins that I didn’t get to see very often.  There was my beautiful Grandma who was in her kitchen a lot, cooking and baking.  She was tiny and thin, but she had giant hugs for us, just like my Dad.  My Dad must have gotten his gigantic hugs from his Mom.  She always had on an apron in the kitchen, and she always had delicious food.

That journey to my grandparents’ farm in Michigan has stayed with me for all these years.  I especially remember two things… the strawberry fields and the vegetable stand.  My Grandma would put on her bonnet, hold my hand and take me with me her to pick strawberries.  Those strawberries were as big as my hands.  I’m not kidding!  As you all know, I have a tattoo that fascinates all of you.  That tattoo of 2 strawberries is for my beautiful memories of my grandparents’ farm and the love I felt with my Grandma in those big strawberry fields.

My Grandma also had a roadside vegetable stand.  It was right on the winding road in front of the farmhouse.  There was a little roof covering it.  There were rows and rows of fruits and vegetables in baskets… tomatoes, peppers, squash, peaches, strawberries and a bunch of other stuff. My Grandma took me to the vegetable stand every day and I watched her sell her vegetables.  She let me sit on a big stool so I could be about her size.  I still remember that.  I loved how cool it was in that vegetable stand… so cool on hot August afternoons.  I loved my Grandma so very much.  I still think of my Grandma and Grandpa each time I stop at a vegetable stand.

My family stayed at the farm for a week before we headed on our bigger journey to California.  I will never forget that journey to the farm.  And guess what?  One of my aunts gave me a used bicycle to take with me to California.  After all, I was a big 5-year old girl!

I wouldn’t see my grandparents or the farm again until my family was heading back to New England, a little over 3 years later.

But I will never forget how happy I was to be on that wonderful farm after leaving our home and my Mom’s family in Boston.  What a journey!

I hope you liked hearing about this journey of mine (even the fighting parts with my brothers)!  I would love to hear about the first journey you remember!

I love you and I will always love you… no matter where you journey to!

Forever and ever,
Grandma Couto

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Grab your stationery and give your kids the gift of wordsthe gift of letters.  This is what LITERACY is all about!

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MAIL TIDBIT of the Day:  The United Kingdom was the first country to issue postage stamps with perforations for easy separation of stamps.  In 1854, a stamp named The Penny Red was the first stamp issued with perforations.  Great invention!

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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