1. INTRO
28/08/2002
Hey there you all,
If you are reading this, it means you must be part of my blood and therefore this makes out part of your inheritance. If you are not part of my blood, then you must be part of my heart, because what you are about to read are my feelings and experiences that shaped me, and who I am.
I don’t know how these letters will take shape as yet, just know that I want to share my legacy and not let it die with me - part of my plan for living forever. I have been toying with the idea for more than a year now and even started a few times but always got stuck. It’s not all that easy telling your secrets. Some I will have to keep though simply can’t allow you to read me like a book! Get that? Like a book? Ha-ha-ha!
I reached a stage in my life where I realized I don’t have a heritage. I know nothing about my bloodline, about the people responsible for my genes, and I would love to know what my grandma & grandpa was like. What made them tick? How did they handle certain situations? Were they liked and adored or known as stubborn and unreasonable? Would grandma possibly be someone you could sit and chat to, or was she always busy on a mission in the kitchen? Could she cook or did grandpa slip her offerings to the dogs? Maybe she made porridge with lumps... Yuck!
What was the old man like? Full of mischief and forever teasing grandma... or was he a very serious dude? Did he like biltong and would he be the kind of guy to share?
Dad once told me that my great-grandfather on my mother’s side was a real cool dude. Apparently he did not say much and had an aura of confidence and wisdom. Dad liked and respected him. My grandmother’s sister once told me that he was a commander in the Anglo-Boer war. He did not say much, but when he did – you listened. Wonder where I got the verbal diaree from?
Next up is my grandma’s mother. All I know is that she was a bit crazy (don’t you dare say: so, that must be where she gets it from....) and climbed over the fence more than once trying to go walkabout. Years later did they only realize it is Alzheimer’s disease, but in those days, she was just declared nuts. My grandmother was diagnosed with the same disease a few years ago. Before she was sent to the old age home, Oupa had to lock her up in the house because she would leave the house and not remember who she was. She also became aggressive and was constantly hitting him over the head with his walking stick and even broke his hearing aid a few times!
Now, this is my version of life. And remember, it is how I experienced my life... the truth according to me. Here I am, this is me, no other place on earth I’d rather be …..
