By Julie Klam

I keep one Kindle in my bathroom because I need to keep my mind occupied no matter what I’m doing.

Read into that what you will.

Yesterday I decided to reread my niece’s book (see title of this post).

I first read it about 15 years ago but since my brain is like oatmeal it all seemed new to me.

You will be surprised to know that I am not a laugher.

I love anything funny but few things make me laugh out loud which is why my father always said that he was worried that I would marry Jack the Ripper if he made me laugh.

Well this book makes me laugh out loud every few pages.

It made me glad that I’m divorced because my ex husband had one thing he simply would not accept which was anyone laughing on the toilet.

In fact, if I was in the bathroom the first time I read it I would have been divorced 3 years earlier.

I want to be clear about this.

I am not writing this to push my niece’s book.

I am writing this because if you’re reading my blog I love you and am sharing a good time with you.

Plus I am lording it over you because I actually hang out with Julie and se is every bit as funny in person.

Now Zen

Plus Julie’s new foster

The other day I received a text from a childhood friend of my nephew and a favorite of my late sister Iris.

He had found a note that Iris had written to him yeas ago and sent it to me.

Here it is.

I forwarded it to the rest of my family.

Every single one of them, myself included, reacted not only to the sadness of the letter but seeing her handwriting

brought her back to us in a way that no email or text could ever do.

It brought to mind a collage that I had made years ago.

Little parts of this show the heart of my family history.

For example:

My father traveled a living. My mother wrote this to him on top of one of the kid’s letters.

It said “If I don’t get to talk to you soon I’ll burst. I miss you terribly (P)

And there’s this little note from me

Or this very informative and hopeful letter from Iris about our cousin’s new dog.

And Phyllis wrote

Marcia let my father know about the movie she saw even though she had shitty seats.

Look, these letters were all written in the 1940’s and will be of no interest to anyone who isn’t in my family.

But here’s my question to you.

What kind of letters can your children put on their collages?

Now everyone will need this after reading this boring blog….