31 Letters Literacy Project: Day 25 – “Love Is…”

Day 25 of our 31 Letters Literacy Project is all about LOVE.  Great big LOVE.

Today’s letter is inspired by a poem about LOVE that we bumped into on Day 25 of 365 Days of Literacy for Kids:

LOVE IS by Nikki Giovanni

Some people forget that love is
tucking you in and kissing you
“Good night”
no matter how young or old you are

Some people don’t remember that
love is
listening and laughing and asking
questions
no matter what your age

Few recognize that love is
commitment, responsibility
no fun at all
unless

Love is
You and me

——————————–

Can you remember a time in your childhood when listening and laughing and asking questions seemed so normal to you?  Then the teen-aged years burst onto the scene like some freight train hurling headlong into your life, taking you away from your comfortable little depot?

No matter how young or old you are, no matter what your age… love is still listening and laughing and asking questions.

Write a letter today to your kids/grandkids/special kids in your life about a time or experience that you may have forgotten to listen and love.

——————————————-

Here is my letter today to my grandkids:

March 25, 2011

Hi, my little darlings! Sometimes when I see you, I cannot believe how fast you’re growing… how fast time goes by.  I remember when each of you were teeny, tiny babies.  I actually remember when we were waiting for each of you while you were in your mommy’s tummy.  We all were excited beyond words to hold you and kiss you and listen to you giggle.  We were amazed when each of you began to speak and listen and ask wonderful little questions.  Each of you make every single day a miracle!

There is a little poem that I love called LOVE IS by Nikki Giovanni. This poem tells us about getting a little older and maybe not listening and laughing enough with the people we love.  This poem has the most important words and message, I think, of any poem.  It tells us about LOVE… especially when we get a little older.  We must always remember just how much and how deeply our parents, grandparents, and special people LOVE us. Here is the poem:

LOVE IS by Nikki Giovanni

Some people forget that love is
tucking you in and kissing you
“Good night”
no matter how young or old you are

Some people don’t remember that
love is
listening and laughing and asking
questions
no matter what your age

Few recognize that love is
commitment, responsibility
no fun at all
unless

Love is
You and me

I remember a moment in my life when I may have forgotten all about listening and questions and responsibility and all that.  I was 16 years old.  I remember this so clearly because I got my driver’s license on my 16th birthday.  Things were different back then.  We could take a driver’s training course when we were 15 1/2 and drive by ourselves at 16.  Not any more.  There are different laws now about driving.

But anyway… I was 16.  The very next Saturday, I asked my parents if I could take my Mom’s car to a football game at my high school.  They said yes… but there were 2 important rules attached to it.  I could only have 2 other girls in my car and I had to go right to the game and right home.

I thought that was very unfair because everyone always went to the local McDonald’s after every game.  I wanted to drive there.  The big deal for me was to actually drive there in my car.  In those days, McDonalds’ weren’t eat-in places… so all the kids parked their cars, got food and hung around outside.  If you had your own car… well, you were pretty cool.

I left my home wondering how I was going to tell my 2 friends that I couldn’t take them to McDonald’s after the game.

Well, I ended up not telling them.  After the game, my 2 friends hopped back into my car… and 4 other girls needed a ride, too.  Yes, I said 4 more girls.  Everyone was laughing and it was so much fun and I got all caught up in the excitement of driving and laughing and not listening to that voice in my head that was saying, “NO. NO. NO, Sharon.”

My Mom had an old Ford Falcon station wagon, so it was easy for 2 of the girls to get into the very back of the car.  My friend in the front seat immediately turned the radio on WAY LOUD.  We were all singing and the girls in the “way back” were practically rocking the car.  THEN one of the girls asked if I could stop at her house on the way… she needed to get some money.  OK.  But what I didn’t know was that she lived down a rather steep hill.  It had been rainy a couple of days before and her driveway was gravel and mud.  My car got stuck in the mud at the bottom of the driveway.  That’s when I really began to think about what I was doing… my responsibility to my parents and their trust in me.

My Dad knew all about cars and he knew all about things to help anyone, anywhere, any time… but I was terrified to call him to tell him of this problem.  Remember, too, we didn’t have cell phones back then.  If my Dad wasn’t home, I wouldn’t be able to contact him anyway.  Plan 2:  my friends all got out of my car and pushed the car as I hit the accelerator.  Well, you know what happens then?  The tires spin.  Mud goes everywhere.  The car doesn’t move.

But everyone was having a great time.  Except me.

Finally, we got the tires to move enough to get me out of the mud, up the gravel driveway and on our way.  My friends were mud-splattered, but they thought it was funny.  What would everyone say at McDonald’s?  Ha, ha.

Oh, no I thought.  I’m already in enough trouble.  But I drove to McDonald’s anyway.

I didn’t have the fun I thought I would have driving my Mom’s car into the lot, parking it, shaking my keys so cool and all that… and hanging around my car.  No.  All I thought about was the too many girls, the mud, being where I wasn’t supposed to be.

Then the afternoon was over.  I had to drive each girl home.  I had to go home.

My Mom and Dad were waiting for me. They were frantic with worry.  Where have you been? I saw the worry in their eyes and heard it in their voices.

I had let them down.  I had not listened.  I had not accepted the huge responsibility of my new privilege.  They asked me a million questions.  The mud.  The girls.  McDonald’s. Where have you been?

But you know what I learned that day?  There is nothing worse than letting down people who trust you, who care about you, who LOVE YOU.  No matter how old you are.  No matter how old you think you are.

And you know what else I learned that day?  I couldn’t drive my Mom’s car for a whole month.  A whole month.  That seemed like an eternity.

But back to one of the million questions my parents were asking.  Hmmmm.  How did they know I went to McDonald’s before I told them?    That… I’ll never know!

Love is FUN.  Love is happy.  Love is kissing good-night and saying, “Good-night, my darling Daddy!” Listening to, “Good-night, my darling daughter!” Love is laughing.  Love is responsibility.  Love is caring about people who love you.  Love is asking questions when you need or want to know something. Love is answering questions… truthfully.

My Mom & Dad with me... my high school graduation!

Love is your parents being so proud of you on proud, proud days. 

LOVE IS how I feel about each one of you… from the moment I heard about you in your Mommy’s tummy to right now to forever!

Love forever and ever,

Grandma Couto

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Mail Tidbit of the Day: Englishman Rowland Hill created the first uniform postage rates that were based on weight, rather than size.

 

 

 



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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1 Comments

  1. 4.10.11

    hello! =) i’m at the office at the moment, so i don’t have very much time to write… but! I really liked reading through this article. It was a bunch of great stuff. many thanks! Sincerely, Ms Paketresor

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