Legacy

In 2009, a Jewish friend was visiting. We were out driving, and I thought she might like to see the Jewish Community Center, which we were just about to pass by, so I pulled in. We went in and looked around. I had no idea so much cool stuff was in there!

She saw a flyer for an upcoming day of workshops, and invited me to go back with her, so I did.

One was a talk on morality. One was a workshop on writing a "Legacy Letter." There were eight or ten women in there, mostly older than I am. The idea was explained, and there was some discussion. One older woman was angry at her grandsons because they were happy, and played video games, even though she was a Nazi camp survivor. She went on a bit. She didn't like them being happy, and planned to tell them so. Other people had softer ideas. We were invited to write.

When we were done, the workshop leader asked if anyone wanted to read theirs. I looked around and nobody was making eye contact with her so I volunteered. After I read mine, a couple of people slumped a bit and sighed, like they weren't going to read theirs. So I didn't get to hear the others, and mine might have missed the point because I'm not Jewish. But I thought I would share it here so my kids might find it someday, and in case some others would like to write something for their children.

If you want to see some directions for the proper Jewish Legacy Letter, there are some links below. I'll transcribe my letter so it's searchable, and because even my kids can hardly read my cursive; grandchildren might be fully baffled by it.

Being a mother changed me.

Whether you have children or not, please know that the way I saw the world after you were born was through the eyes of a mother. I had the perspectives, thoughts and values that came of seeing the world in terms of its dangers and wonders and opportunities for you. If you can live compassionately and kindly and help make the world safer and more comfortable for those around you, I will feel a little immortal.

Thank you for making my life sweeter and for carrying some of my words and songs and stories into times and places I didn't get to see.

When the time comes, maybe someone who has seen this can remind my kids that it's here.

Besides the legacy of our family, though, there are unschooling families whose lives were also affected by my children's effect on me, and many of them are passing on ideas to friends of theirs, or to unschoolers I will never know of.

There are interviews of me, with more information about my children when they were growing up, here: SandraDodd.com/interviews and in the book Moving a Puddle, from lulu.com. The Ebook has colored photos. It's also in Paperback, though with black and white except on the back cover.