Let's Go to the Picture Show

A few years ago my family visited a thrift shop called Potters House. While there my oldest daughter found a book and eagerly brought it to me because she knows how much I love genealogy. The book was titled To Our Children's Children; Preserving Family Histories for Generations to Come  It's basically a book of well thought out questions to ask your parents/grandparents to gain more insight into their lives. I loved it. And it was a steal for only $.25

Later that day we ate at Pizza Hut and while we waited on our food the hubs and I went through and answered a few of the questions for our girls. As we answered these questions I knew the girls wouldn't remember them years down the road when things like that seem a bit more important. I've also pulled this book out once as we sat around the dinner table at my in-laws and we asked my Father-in-law several questions from the Military section. That was only a year or so ago and I can't remember three quarters of his answers.

Fast forward to last month, and the fact that it was National Letter Writing month. I've been having the kids sit down with my book and pick out questions to write their grandparents. This has been the perfect opportunity to have some questions answered and preserved in their own handwriting so we can come back to it, time and time again, when our memory fades.

My youngest daughter wrote to her paternal grandfather and asked the following questions:

What's your favorite movie? How old were you when you saw it? At what theater? Who did you go with?

Ozark Theater at Noel, Missouri

Her Papa's arthritis was acting up so he wasn't able to answer her right away. Her Nanny knew she would be eager to get a letter back in the mail, so we were lucky enough to end up with two letters-- one from each of them.

Her Nanny wrote and told her of the theaters she and Roy went to when they were dating. Most often the theater in Noel Missouri and occasionally the one in Neosho.

Her Papa wrote about the first movie he ever saw and how he typically wasn't even allowed to go to the movie theater because of his family's strict religious beliefs. He also listed his favorite movies and why he enjoyed them so much.

Here is page one of his letter....




To read the letters in their entirety click here.

As we read these letters my girls couldn't believe that their grandpa would be able to remember the first movie he saw and they tried their best to remember their first movie. I explained to them that they grew up with television and movies but their grandparents did not. It may be similar to them trying to remember their first cell phone.

I hope I will be able to publish a few more posts like this one. The kids are still sending letters in the mail and I have written a few myself. I really do hope they will cherish these treasures when they are older.

Until next time,
Becky