Dear Elli
This is a photo of your Great Grandma Edgecomb. Grandpa Gordon's mom. My grandma. Gertrude Edgecomb, aka "Boots".
I've seen this photo many times. Aunt Bev posted it on Facebook in 2013 and I shared it, so now it pops up every year on August 15th as a memory.
I smile every year when I see it because, duh. How can anyone not smile at a little old lady laughing with such obvious joy?
But this year I saw it a little differently. This year it occurred to me for the first time that I laugh with the exact same gesture as my grandma. This particular gesture might be hereditary. The whole throw your head back and crack up without restraint thing. Or maybe it's not hereditary at all. Maybe it's a learned behavior. Perhaps it's just a byproduct of growing up surrounded by beautiful souls who know what it means to be joyful.
The woman in this photo had one hell of a painful story. Her mom died within days of her birth. She lived through the Great Depression, in extreme poverty. She grew up to meet and marry my grandpa, and together they had seven children. She somehow lived through the deaths of three of her seven kids. Two children killed in tragic accidents far before their times. One child killed by disease. Then, in her final showing of strength and endurance, she buried her husband too.
By the time this photo was taken, she had lived through all of that pain. More, actually. A lot more. Yet she was still laughing. Head thrown back with no restraint whatsoever. Cracking up. Laughing with pure joy.
Can you imagine the strength it took this woman to choose a life of joy instead of despair? The incredible beauty of her soul?
Your Great Grandma Edgecomb was one hell of a lady. I didn't fully appreciate all she'd been through when I was young, but I always knew two things: She was one of the most joyful human beings on the planet. And she was gonna send me a check for $5 on my birthday.
And now I know another thing: I laugh just like her. That's a pretty awesome epiphany.
She was grateful for every little thing you could ever imagine. And damn near every little thing you could ever imagine made her laugh. She was a truly joyful soul.
We're lucky to have her blood running through our veins. But I'm even luckier than you because I knew her. I witnessed her gratitude in the face of loss. And her joy in the face of pain. She was one hell of a lady.
We've got great genes, kid. And what we don't get genetically, we get from being surrounded by beautiful souls who know what it means to be joyful.
I love you.
Mom
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