Dear Gram

Daer Gram

Mrs Potts said i have too writ a letter for my sckool summr projeck. I dont rely want to. It is summr vakation. So how are you? Write back.love julie 

Dear Julie,

     I was so happy to hear from you, even though I just saw you last week! I think Mrs. Potts is a very smart teacher, to have you write a letter or two as a school vacation project. Let’s do this all summer and have lots of fun! Trust your old gram. Learning to write well will become more important as you begin your journey toward all your tomorrows.

     When I was your age, I had a little book in which I would write letters to myself. It may seem silly to you right now, but I still have that little book ( it’s called a diary) and I often read pages of it to remind myself of the little girl I was, and how I viewed my world then. Every night I would write a new letter, beginning with…Dear Diary…

     Until I receive your next letter I’ll be thinking of you lots and lots, and wondering how your vacation is going. Please write soon!

     Love and Kisses,

     Gram

Dear Gram,

   Thank you for my diary book. Mom says its for my eyes only, and I can write anything I want in it. Its privet so she wont look at it. It even has a lock on it! Im still going to hid it under my underpants in my drawr. I dont trust tommy. Did you know she had one to? She thinks its still at your house. DO NOT look in it. It for her eyes only.

    Vaction is good, but Carolyn went to New hampsher and I have to play with Mary Jane, and all she wants to do is play dolls. She doesn’t like advenchers and bugs. I rely miss Carolyn. 

  I will write back to you when I can. This is hard.

Love Julie

Daer diary

Im not sure wat to writ here but gram sent me this in the mail. It was cool getting my very own package form the maleman. Why do they call him a maleman? When the lady brings the mail why is she the malelady not the femaleman? I don’t think this is write.

Carolyn went to newfound lake for a whole 2 weeks and I have to play with stoopid maryjane and her stoopid baby dolls. I hate dolls. there stoopid. I miss Carolyn. I even miss her little brother steven. We’re not sposed to tease him cuz hes been a little sick. But we still do. He doent like it but he dont cry about it. He looks funny. His skin is rely wite. Carolyns mom cry’s sometimes when she thinks we don’t see her. 

That’s all for today. 

Goodby until tomorrow 

Julie

Dear Julie,

     I’ve lost my favorite blue pen! I hope you don’t mind plain black! It seems silly to have a favorite pen, but that was the last of the blue pens I used to grade papers with when I was a teacher! Oh well. I don’t think I’ll ever have to do that again so I won’t need a favorite blue pen!

     I am (I’m) happy you like your new diary and you are (you’re) very wise to hide it from Tommy! Brothers sometimes do not (don’t) know a girl needs to have someplace for her private thoughts. Make sure you keep it locked, even though it is (it’s) hidden in your underwear drawer!

     I know you miss Carolyn, she is (she’s) your best friend isn’t she? Mary Jane seems a bit annoying, but keep in mind, she is nearly 2 years younger than you, and might be afraid of bugs and getting lost on an adventure. After all, you have (you’ve) had more practice at being brave. 

     Speaking of brave, please try to be patient with little Steven. He does not (doesn’t) feel well sometimes, but he is (he’s) trying his hardest not to cry and to be brave too. 

     I hope you are enjoying your diary.  write soon!

     Love,

     Gram

Dear diary

Carolyn came back early from vaction. Steven got sick and they had to bring him to the doctor. I called Carolyn yesterday but she culd not talk. Her mom needed to wait for the doctor to call back. I can not (can’t) wait to see her and not have to play dolls with Maryjane anymore.

   I will (I’ll) call her before bed and maybe we can go try to find the blueburry pach tomorrow. 

 Mom says I have to stop being barefoot and start wearing my sneekers to get my feet ready for sckool shoes. I can not (can’t) belive vaction is almost over 

I prommis to write more

Goodnite diary

My Dear Julie,

     I was thinking of you this morning! I walked down  the old path toward the cove, and you won’t believe how many blueberries are on the bushes! I’ll have to dig out our old pail and plink, plink, plunk some to make you a pie!

     I heard that your friend Carolyn had to come home early from New Hampshire. I bet you were glad to see her! I hope you both get some adventures in before school starts! These last few weeks will seem to fly!

     I look forward to receiving mail from your when you can squeeze in a few words for your old gram!

     I love you bunches!

     Gram

Dear diary,

I think Carolyn doesnt like me anymore. When I call her she wont talk to me a lot. She sounds mad. I’m mad at her to. I had to ask Mary jane to come out and play, but she was playing by herself and her dum dolls and didnt want to play with me. 

 Mom made me blueberry muffens. She knows I like pie better. Gram always makes me pie.

Goodby 

Dear diary

This is stoopid. I’m never writing again. 

Dear Julie,

     I’ve (I have) collected enough blueberries for a great big pie, but I’ll (I will) need your help! I will come pick you up for some “Gram and Julie time” on Monday. I miss your face! I miss your letters too!

     Love,

     Gram

Dear diary,

   I know I said I wuold never write again, but i have a secret and I cann’t tell anyone. I wasn’t sposed to hear but mom and dad were talking rely quite and I herd Stevens name. Mom started criing. She said she is (she’s) going to make them some lazanya. I don’t feel good.Mary Jane dared me to eat a ant. I did. I hope I dont have a tape worm. 

     I saw Carolyn downtown getting school clothes, but she didn’t (did not) see me. I think the dress she got was to fancy for school. It was pretty but it was to dark and fancy. How’s (how is?) she gonna run at reces in that?

    I need to go see Gram. She was sposed to get me 4 days ago to make pie. May be shes mad becuse I didn’t write much this summer. I got to busy!

Julie

Dear diary,

Mom just told me Steven almost died last week. She told me the dress I saw Carolyn trying on was for his death day thing at there church. She said it was a fuyeneril or something. She said Carolyn had to go to stay with her gramma in Maine incase Steven died and her mom and dad were to sad to take care of her. I miss her. I miss my Gram to. I need to write to her and tell her about all this she’ll ( she will) know what to do. 

Julie

Dear Gram,

    How are you? I hope you are (you’re) fine. I am not (am’t) fine. I had a awfil summer. I wrotted all about it in my diary. I am (I’m) sorry I did not (didn’t) write to you to.

I miss going to the cove with you and picking blueburrys and making pie. I missed Carolyn so much. I thout she was mad at me becuse I played dolls with Mary jane. I didn’t (did not) know Steven was so sick. Did you know he almost died? I think he was brave and lived. I promiss not to teese him ever agin. Well may be until he fells better. 

     Can I come visit you befour vaction is over? I rely miss you. I rely love you to! And I love your ( not you’re-you are!) pies to!

     Love

      Julie

Ps( mom taugt me this) I kind of like dolls now. They’re (they are) not so stoopid as I thout.

Dearest granddaughter Julie,

     My how the summer has flown! I am so very sorry I did not get to see you at all! Your mom tells me you have been busy with your new friend, Mary Jane and that you might like a doll for your birthday! My goodness! I’ll see if I can find one who might like to wear boots and a backpack to go on some adventures with you.

     Your mom has also told me that Carolyn's brother Steven is getting better and will be home from the hospital soon. I hope you and Carolyn won’t (will not- this is a tricky one!) tease him too much. His hair will grow back. 

     Of course you can come to visit me before vacation is over! I can’t ( you figure it out!) wait to hug you and tell you that no matter how awful you thought your ( not you’re!) summer was, you will ( figure it out!) always have many more adventures with your family and friends. 

     Before I pick you up, please go knock on Carolyn’s door and give Steven a great big hug from me, and tell him I think he is the bravest boy I’ve ever known. Then tell Carolyn she is the best friend you’ve (figure it out!) ever had, and that you’ll ( ! ) bring her one of our special  blueberry pies, just for her!

     I will see you on Saturday! I can’t wait to see you!

     Love you forever and then some,

     Gram

Ps. Don’t ( I know you know what goes here!) forget to bring your sneakers! You need to be ready for school shoes!

    I found these letters, and my diary in an old bureau in the attic of our old summer farmhouse in Maine.  I retreated there during the Covid-19; the Pandemic years, and spent that time re-evaluating my career as a teacher, wondering if I could ever return to the four walls of a classroom. I started a new diary, for my eyes only, complete with a fake lock, and with a great deal of nightly writing to my “Dear Diary,” decided I couldn’t (could not). Out of a long buried habit, I hid the diary in my old bureau, along with my old childhood pink leather, private one, hidden from my brother Tommy, who lives across the cove and would have no interest in my diary ( I hope!) and began a new journey toward my next tomorrow’s.

      I bought a stash of blue gel pens, and began to write my Grandmother’s story. My granddaughter, Magnolia (Maggie) and I practice our writing and pepper our notes with goofy emojis. My how the summers have flown since I was her age, the summer between 3rd and 4th grade, and how much has stood still. 

     That summer, Carolyn wore her new dress; twice. Steven fought bravely and his mom did not want him to journey on alone. I see Carolyn every once in awhile, at the off-island market, but she avoids me. I often wonder if she is still mad at me for playing with stoopid dolls, when she needed me to be her best, adventurous friend. 

     I think I’ll (I will) writ too Gram, I know she will (she’ll) know wat too due. 

     Goodnight Dear Diary,

     Julie