Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Life in a Suitcase


My feature for Vintage Thingie Thursday with Coloradolady at http://coloradolday.blogspot.com will be more words than pictures. Also, it is a little longer than I normally do.








This true story was written January 16, 1948. It was a class assignment for a young girl a Junior in high school. The original copy of this story is in this suitcase along with MANY MANY more things of her life from the first grade until today. In her own words, "literally, my entire life is in this suitcase". She made an "A" on this assignment.

IN THE REAL WORLD

I know nothing concerning the background of my ancestors and very little about my grandparents. My father's parents came from Georgia into Cass County in the year of 1881. They lived at their home near Douglassville, Texas until death took them. My mother's parents came from Tennessee in the year of 1890. They are now residing in their home at Leary, Texas, near Texarkana.

I was born Thursday morning, July 2, 1931. I weighed ten pounds at birth. When I was six months old, I weighed 20 pounds. My mother said I was the prettiest little baby she had ever seen. She said I had long, black hair. One of my aunts combed it one hour after I was born.

When I was about twelve months old, I spoke my first word.which were "daddy" and "mama". I was about fourteen months old before I could walk. My mother thought I was never going to walk or talk.

When I was just a little baby an up until I was four years old, I had "fits". Mother said when I got hurt or mad I would cry, and lose my breath. She said I would get limber and look as if I were dead. Mother would give me anything to keep me from crying. In a way I wish I still had those "fits".

I had a narrow escape from death when I was about three ears old. I ate some boiled corn that was too hard, and I nearly died before Mother could get me to a doctor.

I started to school at the age of six, attended school at Leary, Texas. I cried when I had to start to school. I wanted to stay home with my mother. I always was and still am a "mama" girl. Starting to school was not too bad for I had my sister and aunt to help me get settled.

I spent most of my grammar school days going to different schools. But of all the different schools that I have attended. I like Atlanta the best. When I started to school here, I had real long hair, and I wore it in pigtails.
(7th GRADE)

Everyone thought I was very pretty. One day I came to school without my pigtails. Everyone wanted to know why I had cut my hair. My teacher said she would always remember me with my pigtails. I still have the hair I cut off and braided into a pigtail.

When I had my hair cut, a funny feeling came over me and I nearly cried. But I have not regretted having cut it for nearly everyone told me it made me look lots better.
One summer during vacation I visited my grandmother. My uncle, sister, cousin and myself went riding in a little cart. We were riding over country roads, and the horse was running. Suddenly he ran through a mud puddle, slipped down and over turned the cart. They all got out with just a few bruises and scratches. I got hurt very bad. The horse kicked me on the foot, and I thought for awhile it was broken. It was only bruised very bad. We haven't told our parents about that accident to this day.

The night I graduated from grammar school to high school I got my first evening dress. I was a thrilled and excited girl. At last I was really in high school, but I could hardly believe it was true. It still only seems like yesterday that I was just starting to school. I cannot remember very much that happened in my freshman year. It was during that year I joined the band. I had more fun being in the band, than I have have doing anything else. I get to go on trips, and see and do things that I did not get to do before I joined the band.

Nothing very exiting happened in my sophomore year. It was that year that I was neither absent nor tardy a single day. The night the Seniors got their diplomas, I was called to the stage. I received a certificate for not being absent or tardy. I was really thrilled. I was, along with the other sophomore girls, a waitress at the Junior-Senior banquet last year. We had to be dressed like Mexican senoritas. My best girl friend and I were dressed alike. Everyone complimented us. They said we looked very pretty. I really enjoyed being a waitress. It will be a time of my life I will never forget. This year I will get to go to the banquet without being a waitress. I know it will be lots more fun.

This year (Junior year) I have enjoyed coming to school more than any other year. I am taking subjects that I like this year, except plain geometry. I hate that stuff. The subject I like most is typing. One reason I like typing is because I would like to be a typist or a stenographer when I finish school. I can already get thirty-five words a minute, and I may enter the Intercollegiate Typing contest in the spring. Some of the students have so much trouble with typing, but I think it is simple.

My best girl friend and I are thinking about joining the Wave Corps when we finish school. We are having some trouble with our mothers though. If there is another war, I will join the Waves for sure. I h ope I will not have to join during war time. Wars seem so cruel to me. I lost an uncle and a cousin in this last war. If there is another one, it might be my husband or sweetheart, instead of uncle or cousin. Wars are cruel, but I guess there will always be wars.

What I will do when I finish school is too far in the future. But the above things are some things I would like to do. I may marry and not even have a business career. If and when I do marry, I would like to have two children. I would like a boy and a girl. But that is far in the future too.

The best thing for me to do is to just wait and see what the future holds for me.

THE END
She received this suitcase when she graduated in 1949. Inside you would find the following report cards from the first day of school along with the braided hair that was referred to in her story. Along with these items are many treasures, documents and mementos from that first day in school till now. Her entire life in some small way is in the that suitcase.

An example of the contents are these grade school report cards.





Outcome of her dream future:

She went to a Business College and excelled in typing and steno work.
Married.
Has a boy and a girl.

37 comments:

Keetha Broyles said...

What an interesting assignment!

I wonder what I'd put in MY suitcase.

nancy said...

Hmm never did that. I lost a lot of my report cards. I do have my first communion cards. That pretty much what I had saved next to my Cofirmations and Graduation.
What a nice entry.
Have a good week.
Nancy

Tete said...

Is this your daughter's suitcase? I love that everything is still in there. Love the post and so enjoyed reading it.
I have collected many suit cases in the last 15 years and trunks. My treasures are in them. Stacked nice and neat.
Until someone else comes along to peek inside.
Hugs- Tete

Anonymous said...

What a great story and I love the old photos. Thanks for sharing :-)

~Ron

Terry said...

Howdy LV
This was the best ever !
Thank you so much for this delightful post.
Of course it brought a few tears as I read and much joy .
It is strange I came across a box of stuff today . I had brought it home from my parents .
Inside was a yellow envelope with all my report cards and childdhood medical records etc...Perhaps I should find myself a suitcase To keep them for someone in the future to find :)
Thank you again LV
Big hugs
Until next time
Happy Trails

Maureen said...

What a wonderful post LV!

Postcardy said...

Very interesting. I loved this post.

My mother said I had long dark hair when I was born too.

Marfi-topia said...

I did love reading this LV!
My aunt had a box with her braid in it...it was long and so thick.
how wonderful that everything was kept so neatly... is this your sister?
thank you for this it was very interesting.

Jocelyn said...

What a wonderful post LV. I guess we just don't know what will end up in our suitcase through the years. But these are wonderful mementos.

Jocelyn
http://justalittlesouthernhospitality.blogspot.com/

Betsy Banks Adams said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

It is amazing your mum kept a record of your early years.

Ann said...

LV~What a wonderful life story. The best part was the children. They are our greatest and most wonderful blessings.
Thank you for sharing the suitcase story.
Fondly,
Ann
@
The Tattered Tassel

deb said...

This is such a very interesting post. Thank you for sharing!
*hugs*deb

Teresa said...

How fun is this suitcase. what a great thing that it stayed all together for so very long. I enjoyed reading every word. What a different way of life. Thanks for sharing it.

JEANNE said...

LV, I love this post. That girl is you isn't she. I enjoyed reading every word. That is a special suitcase indeed. Share some more of it soon. You were a very pretty little girl. I love your school photo.

Your comment about Dolly Partin was so sweet the other day. I think she is a pretty special person.

Have a wonderful day.(tomorrow)
Love, Jeanne

George said...

This is a wonderful and delightful post. Thanks for sharing some of your life with us. The pictures are adorable. My mother has all my old report cards and papers in a chest.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

HI LV, George had me read the article again, and I realized that I had read the dates wrong.... George thought you might be sharing your life ---but I think maybe it is one of your sisters....

Anyhow--it's a neat story--and I think it's great to have one's life saved in a suitcase... Love it.
Hugs,
Betsy

highheeledlife said...

Thank you for sharing such a beautiful post with us...HHL

Vintagesouthernlife said...

What a beautiful post. I think it is really neat that you have these photos and momentos to visit and enjoy. Thanks for sharing them.
Annette

Red Nomad OZ said...

It's one of my life regrets that I didn't keep more momentos - but as a young adult I moved too much! But I can't believe your suitcase isn't full!!

Happy travels!!

Lola said...

Wonderful story - so many wonderful memories too!

XOXO Lola:)

Kelly Mac said...

Loved it! Thank you so much for sharing. I have three of these suitcases too. They aren't full of my life story, just where I keep my material for sewing. I'm thankful all your dreams came true.

bj said...

This is an awesome suitcase, full of wonderful memories. Did it belong to your sister?

Janean said...

wow! all that from a suitcase!!!!

sweet post. :)

Vonlipi said...

That was a wonderful post! I loved reading every word of it and the pictures were really great.

Thank you for sharing this :)

Betty said...

What an interesting story. Putting your life in a suitcase is a wonderful idea.

marian said...

what a beautiful post LV, i was completely mesmerised. thank you for sharing :) x

Tara Beaulieu said...

What a wonderful post, LV! I am a saver and have bins for each of my boys. I hope that some day they will enjoy looking back at all the special things I set aside from their childhood. Happy VTT!

Amanda Lee said...

What a cool VTT post! Keetha had a good question -- What would I put in MY suitcase?

Betsy@My Salvaged Treasures said...

I really enjoyed reading this post. So many treasures from our past get discarded and we don't realize how much we might appreciated them in the future. I have some of my mom's report cards and I also saved some from both of my sons, the good ones:) Thank you for sharing.

Ordinary Hiker said...

This is such an amazing story about the girl. I know some place my birth mother has a trunk she tucked away all my old report cards, and my first and 5 haircuts (my family used to have me grow my hair long).

~✽Mumsy✽~ said...

Wow, what a treasure it's to have after all those years..

The suitcase gives me an idea to pack all of my children things individually and give it to them later..

Ann said...

What a great re-telling of your life. Love it that you still have your braid and pictures and report cards. It's such a treasure. I really enjoyed reading it today.
Ann

Tiffanee said...

Love this story!! What an incredible gift. It makes me want to get my kids stuff all together!!

Sally Annie Magundy said...

Hi LV! I love this post, so very charming and touching. Am I right, this is your own story? Thank you for letting us look back with you on your life.

Happy VTT,
Sally

High Street Cottage said...

Hi LV, what a sweet story, and thank you for the kind comment on my giveaway post. I enjoy your blog a great deal. I think that is one thing nice about this cottage style, is finding like people to share your ideas with. Have a wonderful weekend my dear, and big hugs from California, xoxo tami

GardenOfDaisies said...

You are telling your own story aren't you?
I had to laugh at the hair cutting part. I cut my own hair once... and then bawled because it looks so terrible.