This Mail Is Too Important

We haven’t received your answer to our first letter yet, but there is an American boat in today and we hope to get some mail on that, I hope, I hope. We had a clipper letter from the Dohrmans last week and were so glad to hear from them. It was such a nice happy letter and it made us feel real good. It was the first word Clary heard from them since we arrived here. It’s funny what mail from the States means to the folks out here - how we all watch the papers for arrivals of American Boats and Clippers and then the whole gang congregates at the post office, waiting for the ferry to come in in the evening. This mail is too important to let the postman bring around - everybody’s waiting for it right off the boat. - Annette, May 1940

Just this week, I was listening to an author describe her latest book, centered around the idea of unplugging from your cell phone and reconnecting with the people around you. This is a very popular idea these days. Phone-free dinners are becoming the norm, with some restaurants even providing ‘phone pockets’ to keep your devices off the table (I’m looking at you, Joanna Gaines!). More and more, people are weighing the importance of “Do Not Disturb.”

We live in a world where we feel obligated to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We take our laptops on family vacations. We check emails late into the night. We share pictures of our food with the world, even before we have our first bite. In our hyper-connected society, we love the rush of staying in touch. However, sometimes that feeling of always being ‘on’ can lead to anxiety, exhaustion, and just general stress. Our ‘Fear Of Missing Out’ leads us to actually miss out on the present moment around us.

Now imagine the opposite were the case. Your only connection to the outside world came via clipper ship, and was often 4-6 months behind. You could only share your activities through a typewriter and international postage. Annette lived for mail days. She always wrote in her diary about the letters and magazines she received. It was the highlight of her day, sometimes even skipping her studies to read her Redbook magazine. I love the image of their crew gathering at the post office, waiting breathlessly for precious cargo - words of love, support, and daily life from their families and friends.

How many of us write letters anymore? We send and receive dozens (if not hundreds) of emails a day, but how often do we stop everything to read or write to a loved one? Maybe we can find a balance between constant communication and thoughtful correspondence. Maybe we can be more present with family and friends, and treat that time the same way as Annette - with anticipation, enthusiasm, and joy.

You Should See Me Eat

“We sailed away from the U.S.A., Friday at noon and it’s a thrill I’ll never forget. Band playing, flags waving, streamers flying - gosh it was wonderful. Had quite a crowd down to see us off. We are certainly enjoying this. Gee, Mom, you should see me eat and sleep. We eat about six times a day. They wake us up at 7 with a glass of orange juice. At 8 we eat breakfast and even breakfast has six courses. At 10 o’clock they serve boullion and crackers on deck - wherever you happen to be - and at noon we have lunch. At 3 they serve tea - and what a tea - all those pretty gooey cakes, and you know my weakness for them. At 6:30 we have dinner and then at 9:30 after our movies or bridge game we eat again - lemonade and sandwiches. I never ate so many different things in my life. Eat a shrimp omelet for breakfast after grapefruit and bran and then top it off with buckwheat cakes and coffee. And to eat soup, fish, meat, potatoes, and vegetable salad and dessert for LUNCH. Each meal has about eight courses and about four choices to each course - and you may have as many choices of each course as you wish - comes in hand for desserts - that’s what I like best - to eat about 3 desserts instead of one.” - Annette, writing to her mother in March 1940

One of my favorite parts about this project has been ‘getting to know’ family members from my past. Even more exciting is reuniting with my living family members! Through this process, I’ve been able to talk to my Aunt Jackie, who is married to Annette’s youngest brother Don. I remember Aunt Jackie and Uncle Don visiting us when we were children. It has been such a joy to reconnect with her. She has so many stories about Annette and that side of the family. Which leads me to this entry.

Aunt Jackie sent me a book of letters sent from Annette and Clary, and in all my years of reading Annette’s diaries and letters, I had never seen these! Before Annette left for China, she worked for a publisher, and he offered to publish the letters they sent home while they made their way to China. This slim book contains their letters from February 1940 - September 1940, detailing their journey from St. Louis, MO to Enshih, China. The letters start off in Chicago, their first stop, and continue on to San Francisco, where they boarded a ship to carry them across the Pacific.

Reading her stories about the journey across the globe has been amazing. It fills in some gaps, and confirms some family legends about their big adventure. I just love this entry describing her ship, the Asama Maru.

Annette and Clary set sail on the Asama Maru on March 15, 1940. It was the fastest ship of its time, making the voyage from California to Japan in 15 days. A few months before, that same ship gained notoriety by attempting to smuggle German crew members into Japan - check out the ‘Asama Maru Incident.’

After a few days of sea sickness, Annette really got into the swing of life on the boat. I love her descriptions of all the meals! Her preference for sweets is, once again, quite evident. While on board, they played deck golf, shot clay pigeons, and took relaxing salt-water baths. One of my favorite lines in the entry was this - “here on the ocean, where the sea and the sky meet, you somehow seem so close to heaven - and it was so beautiful - I’ll never forget it.”

She was on her way to a brand new world, with her brand new husband, on a big fancy boat for 15 days straight. Can you imagine?? I can’t wait to explore these letters a bit more. Thanks, Aunt Jackie, for brand new insights into our family’s past!

We Have Been Married 40 Years

I am going to some of the wedding parties - and to-day I dressed up - put on a pretty dress and hat and walked out and said to Mr. Grimes "We have been married 40 years to-day."  - Frances, June 1929

It's been a while since I have written.  To be honest, I've been a little stuck.  Between honeymoon planning and the start of the new school year, I have always managed to find something else to do instead of write.  

Then, just last week, my aunt sent a letter that she found while unpacking in her new house.  It reads like a diary entry, even though it is on stationary from the Alabama Woman's Christian Temperance Union.  It was a letter from Frances, writing to her husband on their 40th anniversary!  The letter, written around the time of their youngest son's wedding, has all the hallmarks of Frances' diary from her twenties but written at the ripe old age of 46.  She focused on describing her children and grandchildren, and just like so many of her diary entries, closed by sharing her gratitude for the love of her children and family.    

Finding this letter was such a treasure.  But even better was the conversation it sparked.  My aunt emailed a copy to my mother, their cousins, and the second cousins.  Everyone chimed in with thoughts, questions, notes, and their own reflections.  Frances' letter brought us all (virtually) together.  In Frances' words, "they have been a continual source of pleasure to me always."  I consider myself lucky to be in the company of the wonderful women in this family, and it is an honor to explore our shared ancestors.  I am grateful to them for their support (and for reading this blog!). 

A Couple Pictures

The pictures we took Sunday of Bug turned out very well.  I wrote to Mother so we sent along a couple pictures.  Had alarms tonite - we even took Bug down to the dung for his first bit of powing.  Annette, October 1941

 

This project had a big weekend!  First, my brilliant fiancé, who spent several years working in China, helped decipher several of Annette's interpretations of Chinese words and phrases.  She mentions the 'dung' by their house several times, which is her interpretation of the Chinese word for cave or hole - 洞.  She always talks about 'powing' back and forth, which means run - 跑.  It was so much fun to sort through some of her words!

Also this weekend, I visited my sister and her family.  She had a few boxes of photos from my Dad that we were going to look through.  While digging through yearbooks and newspaper clippings, we discovered photos from my Grandmother's time in China!  

In this entry, Annette was excited to send home pictures of Bug.  Guess what I found?!

I can't wait to sort through all these photos - more to come!  Enjoy!