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Jan. 20th, 2005 05:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ceebeegeeLast week I posted about my great-aunt Dottie. My mother called me two days ago to give me further news--her cousin Jane called her (I love how old-fashioned all these names are--Jane (also my grandmother's name), Dorothy, Deborah, Clara. We're such Southerners). Jane is the executrix of Dottie's will and wanted my address--
apparently I am the primary beneficiary of Dottie's will.
Everyone was a little surprised--Mom had figured it would go either to Jane or Margaret (Jane's sister) or possibly split among the three of them. I was stunned. I corresponded a lot with Dottie but have only met her once, when I was in the 8th grade. She always sent me books for Christmas--at one point she got confused about Mon's and my interests, so I always got a book about the War Between the States, and Mom would always get a book about Medievalism. We would dutifully write Dottie thank-you notes for our respective gifts and then switch! In my letters, I would try to talk about stuff that might interest her, like how I related to the characters I played, and how much I loved New York City, and the books I was reading. Her brother, my grandfather John, lived here and was in Equity. Sometimes I'd talk about him. Perhaps Dottie wanted to help the struggling actress.
I think it's important to try to involve older people as much as possible in our day-to-day lives, and to listen to them. We're so quick to shut them out. My mom's mother, Memaw (married to Grandpa John), could be difficult--if y'all think I'm headstrong, you should've met her! She had a ferocious intellect but was generally incapable of seeing any point of view other than her own. I guess that's one thing that made her a great actress (she was also in Equity--in fact she went to Carnegie). But she insisted on being a part of our lives, and would never have tolerated being "put out to pasture" or condescended to. One of my favorite lyrics in Once in This Island is "Our lives become the stories that we weave..." Our ancestors, our forebears, are part of that pattern as well. They are living stories. They are part of what we are. It's not only inhumane to discard them, it's against our best interest.
I don't know. I felt...weird, when Mom told me this news. She says it's a sizable bequest. She called me an heiress (just can't get away from that WASP archetype!). I haven't been told yet how much but I did some research on the neighborhood where her house is (they're selling it) and other houses on that street are selling for quite a bit. Part of me--a big part--felt enormous relief at actually having some money, and I can relax and not worry so much. Relief. I was close to tears that evening. I had prayed for help, and it had arrived. Maybe that's why I felt so weird. It is odd to have your prayers answered, and so definitively.
And yes, I've been thinking about what I could do with the money. I will of course invest a good chunk of it--some will go to my trust fund, some to my Roth IRA, and I can speculate with some stocks. And as for more fun stuff--
Clothes. I want to buy some awesome clothes. Samples and sales of course--I will never pay full retail price unless it's irresistable. I may be an heiress but I'm still a Scotswoman!
A motorcycle. Finally.
Travel. Greece with Doug, or maybe somewhere else in Europe. But it must be warm and historical. I have to indulge both sides--the bikini'd hedonist and the history geek! I can visit Krista finally, and explore other places like the Southwest and Colonial Williamsburg (I've always wanted to go there with my Mom).
Theater. I can finally produce all the ideas I've had--I can do Twelfth Night and Midsummer and Hair and Pirates. Just a week ago Keith and I were dreaming about what we'd do with a theater company if we had the money.
I don't know if I can indulge all of these dreams, because I don't know yet how much money we're talking about. I'm certainly not going to stop working no matter what. But it's nice to know I can indulge some of them.
Thank you, Dottie. Thank you so, so much.
apparently I am the primary beneficiary of Dottie's will.
Everyone was a little surprised--Mom had figured it would go either to Jane or Margaret (Jane's sister) or possibly split among the three of them. I was stunned. I corresponded a lot with Dottie but have only met her once, when I was in the 8th grade. She always sent me books for Christmas--at one point she got confused about Mon's and my interests, so I always got a book about the War Between the States, and Mom would always get a book about Medievalism. We would dutifully write Dottie thank-you notes for our respective gifts and then switch! In my letters, I would try to talk about stuff that might interest her, like how I related to the characters I played, and how much I loved New York City, and the books I was reading. Her brother, my grandfather John, lived here and was in Equity. Sometimes I'd talk about him. Perhaps Dottie wanted to help the struggling actress.
I think it's important to try to involve older people as much as possible in our day-to-day lives, and to listen to them. We're so quick to shut them out. My mom's mother, Memaw (married to Grandpa John), could be difficult--if y'all think I'm headstrong, you should've met her! She had a ferocious intellect but was generally incapable of seeing any point of view other than her own. I guess that's one thing that made her a great actress (she was also in Equity--in fact she went to Carnegie). But she insisted on being a part of our lives, and would never have tolerated being "put out to pasture" or condescended to. One of my favorite lyrics in Once in This Island is "Our lives become the stories that we weave..." Our ancestors, our forebears, are part of that pattern as well. They are living stories. They are part of what we are. It's not only inhumane to discard them, it's against our best interest.
I don't know. I felt...weird, when Mom told me this news. She says it's a sizable bequest. She called me an heiress (just can't get away from that WASP archetype!). I haven't been told yet how much but I did some research on the neighborhood where her house is (they're selling it) and other houses on that street are selling for quite a bit. Part of me--a big part--felt enormous relief at actually having some money, and I can relax and not worry so much. Relief. I was close to tears that evening. I had prayed for help, and it had arrived. Maybe that's why I felt so weird. It is odd to have your prayers answered, and so definitively.
And yes, I've been thinking about what I could do with the money. I will of course invest a good chunk of it--some will go to my trust fund, some to my Roth IRA, and I can speculate with some stocks. And as for more fun stuff--
Clothes. I want to buy some awesome clothes. Samples and sales of course--I will never pay full retail price unless it's irresistable. I may be an heiress but I'm still a Scotswoman!
A motorcycle. Finally.
Travel. Greece with Doug, or maybe somewhere else in Europe. But it must be warm and historical. I have to indulge both sides--the bikini'd hedonist and the history geek! I can visit Krista finally, and explore other places like the Southwest and Colonial Williamsburg (I've always wanted to go there with my Mom).
Theater. I can finally produce all the ideas I've had--I can do Twelfth Night and Midsummer and Hair and Pirates. Just a week ago Keith and I were dreaming about what we'd do with a theater company if we had the money.
I don't know if I can indulge all of these dreams, because I don't know yet how much money we're talking about. I'm certainly not going to stop working no matter what. But it's nice to know I can indulge some of them.
Thank you, Dottie. Thank you so, so much.
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no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 05:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 06:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-21 06:46 pm (UTC)I have an auspicious feeling. It's starting off well, for sure.
I finally read it
Date: 2005-02-07 06:59 pm (UTC)That's a great story! Hope all is going well.