A Map of the World

During one of our numerous times waiting at the courthouse while on jury duty, I started a book. Yes, an actual book. Awhile back, I blogged about my addiction to crossword puzzles and how that addiction had taken over any spare time that I might have devoted to reading. No longer. This book, A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton, has me hooked. I started it two days ago and I'm already over half done, and had trouble putting it down tonight.

Aside from the characters and the story line, I've been very drawn by the setting. It takes place in a farming community, and the main characters run a farm. Throughout the book, there are various references to farm chores, some of which I have had first-hand knowledge of myself. It got me thinking a lot about my grandpa and grandma T. and our family's farm. It's a tough way of life, but very rewarding when it's good.

And then tonight, my grandparents actually called me. It was very out of the ordinary, actually. I usually communicate with them through my mom. She's kind of like our telephone - we all talk to her weekly, and she divies out the information to everyone. That might sound kind of funny, but it seems to be the way that our family works. Anyway, they called because my grandma sent off a birthday card for me today thinking that she needed to get it here by the 25th. It wasn't until after she'd slipped it in the mailbox that she realized that my birthday is March 25th and this is still February. So, they were calling to let me know that my card would be here early.

It was really nice to talk with them, and to know that they are always there for me. They were a big part of my upbringing, and were a huge support system for me in difficult times. They're also a big reason I was able to make it through college without having to quit and save up more money in the middle of my undergraduate degree. And they're the ones who lent me money to get a certificate to start my career as a technical writer after I'd decided that my jobs in teaching and software testing were close, but no cigar.

It's interesting, really. Although grandpa and grandma T. never went to college, they have always held education very highly and made sure that it was a possibility for my mom and uncle, and then for all of us grandchildren when we were struggling to keep our heads above water financially. None of us took out loans. We all worked and saved up for college, and then worked through college. Growing up, I never questioned whether I would have a higher education. I understood that it was expected, and indeed, required for all of us grandchildren.

So, I have a lot of love and respect for my grandparents, and reading this book has helped to remind me a bit of some of my own experiences growing up on a farm and being in a farming community. It's a completely different life than what I live now, and I probably over romanticize it in my mind now. We did have a lot of good times, and I will always look back fondly on my experiences there. But I still remember how much I hated picking rocks and weeds in the fields. By doing those things, though, I learned that on a farm you can't pick and choose the things that you want to do - if you want to succeed, you have to tend to it all. And I think that applies to a lot of things in life.