Random Acts of Kindness

My current hobby is making books and junk journals from old book pages, sheet music (don't  cringe) and ephemera. I don't normally use original letters and notes in my journals, especially if they are personal to me; I copy first and then add them to journals. 

My mom was an avid reader. She loved poetry, too. She kept one particular book her entire life: Cornelli, Her Childhood, written by Johanna Spyri in the 1920's. Seriously, I didn't like it much as a child. I specifically remember the part where an unkind lady told Cornelli if she is bad, horns would grow out of her head. I'm pretty sure I felt my forehead a few times checking for sprouting horns. I could sometimes be an obstinate child. 

I wondered later why my mother had kept that particular book. There were much better ones I would have chosen; especially any book with a horse in it.

At the end of Mama's life, the Cornelli book was literally falling apart. Could I throw it away? No, she came home with me. I found a note inside written to my mother. "I hope you will always be the sweet and dependable pupil that you have been for me." Signed: Effie Beckler. So, the book had been given to my mother by a teacher.

Today, I decided to track down "Effie Beckler." I didn't expect to find her since Mom had lived in several states and women's names change when they marry; but I first found her in the 1930 Census in Polk County, TN..occupation "teacher!" The search was on.

Here is her story: Miss Effie Beckler was born in 1907, began teaching at age 24 in 1931 and was still teaching 38 years later when she died at age sixty-two in 1969. No children or husband were mentioned in her obituary.

We may never know the impact our Random Acts of Kindness may make in someone's life. The ripples can go on forever. An obscure book with a note of affirmation and encouragement inside was given to a little girl in a mining town in Tennessee. She later gave birth to a little girl in NC. That little girl grew up loving books, pens, paper, and words. 

The words of Miss Effie were quite prophetic. Little Miss Ellen was always sweet and dependable..and oh so many more wonderful adjectives.

I'm sure Miss Effie never imagined her note would find its way into a journal almost a century later. I wonder how many hundreds of notes she wrote to her students in her 38 years of teaching?

Laney's Musings

February 2024