Who was I as a kid? And how does that contribute to who I am now? I recently read an article about how we tend to hold this false perception that who we are now is who we will always be, yet if we look back at the life we’ve lived so far, we realize that we’re constantly changing. It’s ridiculous to think that our present selves will not alter.
Can looking back, then, give us clues about the overall trajectory of our lives and a more mindful focus on who we’d like to become? I hope so.
I’m writing this blog because my mom held an unswerving conviction that my life was important and therefore, every artifact of my journey should be preserved. She carefully collected all my things from worksheets to mixed media collages of yarn and wall paper and boxed them up each year and had Dad tuck them away in the forgotten corners of the basement or the cabin attic, believing that someday I’d find them worthwhile.
Well, my dad destroyed our cabin last year and ousted the remaining boxes of my stuff. So now I’m left to sort through this mountain of my past. Part of me would like to take it all directly to recycling. We’re moving soon and I simply have to downsize.
But I owe it to my mom, who died four years ago, to take the time to investigate these things and take some pictures before letting them go. I’m doing this for you, Mom, because I know you loved me when I was a little girl and you love me even now. You believe in me—who I was and who I might become if I keep plugging away.
Thus, the examination begins with my overstuffed box of second grade papers. Second grade—it was a long time ago for me. Jimmy Carter was president and we were talking a lot about renewable energy (why haven’t we gotten further by now, I have to wonder). Women were just beginning to hit the workforce and be considered as worthy intellectuals. I found this rather shocking article in one of my “Weekly Reader” newspapers that questioned whether women could be pilots in the Air Force. Happily, it concluded, they could.
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| an article from my Weekly Reader newspaper in 1978 |
Stamps, by the way, were only 13 cents a piece. I learned this from the post office worksheet below. Still, my weekly reader reported that a penny was so worthless in the 70s that they were considering phasing them out by the mid 80s.
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| a worksheet about the US Post Office |
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| An issue of our Weekly Reader newspaper |
It seemed like I had a lot of time to play and just be a kid in those days. We spent many delightful weekends at our cabin on the Mississippi River.
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| me on the rope swing at our family cabin on the Mississippi River |
I loved swimming, waterskiing and fishing, especially with my grandpa. And as I you can see by this picture, I had great abs.
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| me with a fish I'd caught |
Church was a significant part of our family’s life. I attended worship with my parents and went to Sunday school. My sister and I sang in the children’s choir, which was directed by an overly cheerful woman named Dorie Weldon who amazed us with her ability to smile and sing at the same time. And though I mocked her something terrible, I went on to become a smiling director of children’s church choirs, too. Maybe I’m even more enthusiatic than Mrs. Weldon was.
I was a student at Northside Elementary School in Monroe, Wisconsin, where my dad was the superintendent of schools. I probably had a sense of entitlement because of that. Mom earned her masters degree that year and I remember the great surprise party we threw for her. Though we weren’t good at keeping secrets, we somehow kept the party a secret from her and boy was she ever surprised! There was definitely a belief in the power of education in my family. As a result, I believed myself to be a good student. Art was my favorite subject but music was a close second. I played a lacti bug in a class musical about good oral hygine that year, though I felt a bit robbed I didn’t get to be a tooth.
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| my mom cutting the cake at her surprise graduation party |
It’s fascinating to look through my second grade work because I went on to teach that grade so I know what second graders are capable of. And it shocked me to see how sloppy my handwriting was! My spelling wasn’t that consistent, either. I thought I was Mrs. Tschanz’s pet but now I wonder if she wasn’t a mite bit disappointed in my academic performance.
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me on the first day of second grade (with our house behind me)
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I loved birthdays. Here are pictures from my 8th birthday party with our neighbor kids the Blombergs and the Sathoffs. We remain close with both families to this day.
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| my 8th birthday party |
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| this picture me me opening my birthday gifts almost looks staged |
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| here I am with my sister and the eggplants our parents grew in the garden (I still love eggplants and I'm still shorter than my sister!) |
First, I’ll begin with some selections of my second grade art work. Creativity is still very important to me and I do see that I had a fairly good artistic sensibility as a kid—at least when I applied myself. Each is labeled with a title I gave the piece, the artistic medium and my commentary about it in parenthesis.
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| Waterskiing, marker on construction paper (The spotter in the boat is very attentive, perhaps because of the tightness of the skivvies on that waterskiier!) |
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| Seascape, mosaic on construction paper (Is the octopus tickled by the bubbles from the fish below?) |
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| Butterfly Dyptic, mixed media with tempera |
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| Holly Hobby Bathed in Sunlight, print plate, styrofoam on cardboard |
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| Vegetarian Dinosaur, marker on construction paper (A T-rex eating plants—really? I can see my pre-vegetarian mind working.) |
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| Sunset and the Green House, wax resist watercolor on construction paper |
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| Surreal Clown and His Dog, mixed media on construction paper (A little disturbing, but creative!) |
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| Animal House, watercolor on construction paper (Kind of looks like the peaceable kingdom since the lion on the left has not eaten the turkey.) |
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| Yellow Tree, Yellow Rabbit, sponge painting and pencil |
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| Haunted House, wax resist watercolor on construction paper (Dig the spelling.) |
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| Many Hearts, crayon on construction paper |
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| Floral Still Life, crayon on construction paper |
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| The Non-red Cardinal, marker and crayon on construction paper |
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| Pink-Haired Flower Girl, mixed media with yarn and felt on construction paper (Maybe this was an indication I would one day become the pink-wig-wearing Laughing Laura.) |
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| Bird, Bug & Butterfly, tissue paper stained glass |
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| Turkey, mixed media with wallpaper (An indication I'd one day have a turtle named Turkey?) |
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| Girl with Bouquet, mixed media with tempera paint and wallpaper |
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| Daffodil, construction paper |
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| Self-Portrait, mixed media with construction paper, crayon and wallpaper |
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| Gerbils-Town, crayon on computer paper (An example of my sloppier work but it's creative with the gerbils everywhere. This was the year we first got pet gerbils. Can you tell?) |
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| Self-Portrait, photocopy (I didn't realize I'd started doing photocopy self-portraits quite so young!) |
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| Hand with Owl Ring and Purple Rabbit's Foot Bracelet, pencil and crayon on construction paper |
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| Ballerina Twirl, pencil and crayon on notebook paper (I had given it to my teacher and I see she gave it back!) |
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| Knight and Lady Dancing, pencil and crayon on notebook paper |
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| Brown Dog, print with water-based ink |
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| Reading Poster, crayon and pencil on construction paper (Very random: It reads "I am sitting on top of the world reading." It was for a library poster contest. I'm guessing I did not win. |
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| Three Tie Designs, crayon on cut-out construction paper (It's sort of surreal to have a guy wearing a tie on a tie.) |
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| Bicycle, crayon on cut out construction paper with metal brads |
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| Dancing Blond, crayon on cut-out construction paper |
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| Indian Girl facing North, construction paper (This was before the days of political correctness.) |
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| Bike Safety Poster, pencil and crayon on construction paper (It reads: Ride Safely, Not Foolishly! The foolish rider is, indeed, riding foolishly.) |
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| Clown Portrait, marker on construction paper (I really like this one, especially his patterned suit.) |
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| Balloon Ride Above the Ocean on an Endlessly Sunny Day, marker on construction paper |
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| The Princesses' Birthday Party, crayon on construction paper |
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| Potted Geranium, marker on scratch paper (I'm surprised to see I drew this since I hated geraniums in those days.) |
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| Tropical Bird, neon tempera on paper |
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| Kind, crayon on construction paper (A nice ethical lesson in art class.) |
Here are some examples of my academic work from second grade.
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| Reading Award |
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| This is the file folder with the titles of all the books I read in second grade. The total was 256, which was the most in my class. I won a trophy for this! |
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| An example of a worksheet |
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| A poem about happiness I wrote |
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| The song about popcorn we sang at school on popcorn sale days |
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| We were required to practice our weekly spelling list with an adult and have the adult sign it. You can see my mom's signature on all of these. I distinctly remember forging her signature once, though. I could not find that list in my box but I remember my teacher busted me! |
My mom even saved the cards I got. They are so adorable and have a distinctly different look than today’s cards.
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| Birthday cards (lots of little girls!) |
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| Valentines from my classmates, which went into the heart shaped envelope with my name on it in the middle |
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| Valentines I got in the mail from friends and relatives |
And finally, here are some things from my time in Sunday school at Grace Lutheran Church. As a Sunday school curriculum writer, I was delighted to see the curriculum I, myself, had experienced as a child. Somehow, it managed to build faith in me, which is altogether miraculous. I am so grateful for these faith formations.
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| This was my attendance chart for children's choir. |
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| I wrote this story about Christmas. |
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| A worksheet explaining the significance of my baptism |
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| A lesson about the parable of the lost coin—apparently we had to write our own story of losing something and then finding it, so I wrote about my gerbil, Cottonball. |
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| A cross collage with Bible scenes and a self portrait in the middle |
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| A drawing of the Good Shepherd (that's a little sheep in Jesus' arms) |
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| A wildly-patterned angel |
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| The Christmas scene—there is definitely no room in the inn! |
As I reflect on these moments from my childhood, I realize that who I am today has a lot to do with the people who surrounded me. My parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, sister, friends, neighbors, teachers, choir director, Sunday school teacher and pastor all influenced me—and most of that influence was positive, at least as I think about it now. I can’t imagine where I’d be without the loving support I got from so many people. Their lives, especially those who are gone now, have such meaning to me.
Who am I now? I’m still figuring that out, but I know I owe a debt of gratitude to all those who have helped me along the way. And I’m endeavoring to pay it forward by serving those I can.
Well, that was a huge task and I have many more boxes to go. Wish me luck as I proceed and please email or write comments of encouragement. I need all the boosting I can get. Thanks!
