Nov from Hadley -- Full of hope or full of despair? migrant mother

 

This envelope is from Hadley - a new exchanger. When I took my stack of envelopes to the PO, I handed them to a clerk that I see quite often - and his name is Hadley. As I walked out, I remembered that I had a *Hadley envelope* in the stack and I should have put it on the top of the pile. I'm sure he would have noticed. This one looks like it went through a lot. The swirl pattern in the background is very pretty and did not photograph very well. 

***

Well, we made it through another year. Some people are full of hope for 2025. Others are full of despair. Are we in complicated times? Yeah, we are. Have people asked me where I stand? Yes they have. Do I have a slightly kooky response? Yes, I do. But maybe some of you had parents who grew up during the depression and maybe you remember how the people who toughed it out were able to enjoy some better times. 

I will not list all the things that this country has been through since the depression.  There were some rough times. If we are currently in a rough patch, remember what Mr Rogers said: When things are scary, look for the helpers. 

That's what you say to children. Since we are grown ups, it is our responsibility to BE the helpers. It's time for people to step up and be helpers where they see those who need help. We aren't going to solve world problems - but IMHO, it never hurts to devote time and energy where there is a need.

There are two more parts to this. Hopefully it will be an uplifting beginning to the new year - and then I can go back to being silly.

***

Remember this sheet of postage stamps...

And see that stamp right in the center...

When my kids were little, I had a photocopy of that image stuck on the bulletin board above my desk. My daughter would insist I take it down. And I would, but then I'd run across it and put it back up. To her, it was too depressing. Even though she had plenty of conversations with her grandma (my mom) about life during the depression - she didn't want to be reminded of it. To me, it was a reminder of how easy my life has always been.

From time to time, I would research the photo and even pondered ordering an actual print, Link to digital archive. All of the photos taken that day are available on the website.  There are several good books about the photographer, Dorothea Lange - as well as articles you can find online...her story is very interesting.

For some reason, YouTube has access to the deep recesses of my brain and they decided to dangle an ancient (1979) clip from the NBC Nightly News in front of me. I almost didn't click on it - and then I did. The migrant mother was alive and living in California. It's 4 minutes and includes some comments from a couple of her kids. 

For me, it was inspiring to hear the story and how things turned out.

So, whether you feel the coming year(s) will be difficult and depressing or if you thought the path we were on was going very badly... we're still stuck on the same planet - living next to each other in various neighborhoods and a variety of states. Is anyone interested in finding even a shred of common ground?

For what it's worth - here it is:

LINK to news clip about migrant mother photograph