Autumn is here and the skies are over casted with clouds heralding the rainy season. Children are back in school and the leaves are changing color. Summer season has shut down its glory. Whenever I see the clouds in the skies, I automatically remember my story with them. As a child of eleven years old, along with my siblings, we lived in a boarding school in our hometown Jdeidit Merjeyoun, in the South of Lebanon.
We were very well looked after from all the school staff, principal, supervisors, and teachers, as they were mostly relatives of our parents. My mother prepared and gave attention to every little detail to ensure our comfort and needs. Her biggest concern was to write her address on our family album so that I don’t lose it. She made me promise her that I would write her a letter every month to tell her about us and how we were doing.
I am going to stop my story for a minute and talk about my generation and how certain circumstances lead to most of the parents leaving Lebanon to work abroad. They left for better job opportunities in order to be able to provide for their families with the living standards that they aimed for. Our boarding school was full, it was very popular to find people living abroad while their children were left behind in schools that would provide them with the curriculum and language that suits their cultural backgrounds and surroundings. This reflected greatly on how our generation raised their kids. We implanted the idea of how important it is to acknowledge the fact that people worked hard to earn a decent living. Another vital factor was that our children were taught to appreciate and embrace the privileges they are given. Whether it was that they are living with their parents in one home, the innovative facilities and technologies they are provided with, or opportunities of education and higher education, giving them a ticket to independence and self reliance.
As an obedient little girl, I promised mom that I would surely do so. October 1968, I took my first lesson in essay writing. It was about the Autumn season. the first thing I did that weekend was write a letter to mom to impress her with my newly learned skills. I wrote it all so well, describing the clouds, the wind, the falling of leaves etc… but not one word of how we were doing, nothing ! it was purely about the weather. Upon receiving and reading my letters, mom was caught between both tears and smiles. She called the headmaster and told him how impressed she was with my letter, but was hoping to know more of our news.
“How wonderful it is to see your mother smiling and know that you are the reason behind that smile.”
Mom always kept that letter with her and read it all the time. She also sometimes shared it with her close friends and family.
“Mom I wish there were visiting hours in heaven, but I will manage by simply writing you a letter to tell you about all of us and I promise you that I will not mention the weather, even though it is Autumn.”
Be happy for no reason, like a child. If you are happy for a reason , you are in trouble, because that reason can be taken away from you !
Happy Autumn to all my friends and family, may you all gather special memories that will mark your life in this beautiful season, as I did.
With love, Jahna
1 Comment
Love it.