Reopening a Rare Trunk

My Grandma Frankie's Trunk

We just take the best of today, tuck it away, and keep it for tomorrow.  

Years before that quote was featured at the top of my blog or I had even heard of a blog, I was asked to define the concept behind the Tomorrow Trunk quote.  I had compiled several of my best children’s stories, typed them into manuscript form, and mailed the compilation to various agents and children’s book publishers.  The quote was the first line of the introduction, and the year was 1993. I still have every rejection letter from those first submissions.  Over the years, I repackaged the Tomorrow Trunk a dozen times until the large compilation of stories became one singular story…and my file of rejection letters continued to grow. But no matter how I redefined the Tomorrow Trunk, the original concept (the quote) stayed the same.

When I sent off that first batch of submissions, most of the rejection letters (or postcards) I received were canned or bulk mailings prewritten in advance.  The response began with “Dear Author” and ended with “Respectfully, The Editorial Department”.  As I began to study my craft and get better with queries, I started to get actual responses from real people. Over the years, I have received editorial direction from several agents, editors and publishers, including  Laura Rennert of the Andrea Brown Agency, Susan Hirschman and Virginia Duncan at Greenwillow, and Meredith DeSousa, who in 1999 was assistant editor at Simon and Schuster.  That year, her comments mirrored the consensus of every reply.  “Love the idea behind it…notes are wonderful…stories are varied and childlike.  The problem, however, is that the manuscript includes both notes from an adult and stories for a child.  I am afraid the appeal of this collection would be lost on both groups.”  Laura Rennert even suggested that the Tomorrow Trunk become interactive, like a real trunk, and suggested that I read the Griffin and Sabine Trilogy for an interactive example (which I was SO glad I did). I could just envision children everywhere carrying around their own little Tomorrow Trunks full of stories.

Yesterday, my mom and I visited close relatives, and I was able to take pictures of the first trunk that initiated my fascination with trunks and berthed the idea of the Tomorrow Trunk.  When I was growing up, my grandmother had a trunk ~ a real, real trunk.  The outside reminded me of the wealthy socialite trunks that were carried onto the Titanic – heavy metal with intricate designs and gold-leafing.  Inside was a flat compartment with divided sections which held jewelry, handkerchiefs, old coins, safety pins, and a hodgepodge of junk.  The top compartment could be lifted out of the trunk, and underneath that compartment was a secret storage area where my grandmother kept her most prized possessions ~ an assortment of cherished pictures, a stack of personal letters tied with ribbon, and her most special keepsakes.  After my grandpa died, I lived with my grandma for six years; however, I was never allowed to 'pilfer' or ‘meddle’ in the trunk. Only on rare occasions, Grandma would open the trunk, remove the top compartment, pull something out of the bottom, and tell me an unforgettable story.  I would sit right next to her on the couch and hang onto every word.

The novelty of those moments introduced me to a sacredness of story that I have never taken for granted or considered common and every day.  To me, that's the meaning of the best of today.  She was discriminatory with what she shared and restrictive with whom.  Those precious items and their accompanying stories were not for public display or routine visits.  The best of her today was tucked away.  My grandmother died during my sophomore year of college, and yesterday was the first time I had seen the trunk in thirty years.  My aunt’s daughter had graciously invited me to visit and take pictures of the trunk for my blog.  When I first saw it (just the outside), I was overcome with emotion. 

When I opened the trunk, all the contents were gone; however, as I lifted that compartment, all those moments with my grandmother began to flood my soul! I cannot describe what I felt, and I am weeping as I type the words.  I realized that my fascination had not been with trunks, but with the stories that were kept inside…the sustaining narrative that had been tucked away.  At that moment, it occurred to me that what I had done over the years for potential profit for my family (as in dollars and cents) had indeed made me a very rich woman during the process.  I had tucked away the best of today and kept it for tomorrow.  I imagined, thirty years from now, my one day grandchildren being reminded of a special story and feeling the overwhelm of that same love and devotion.

What I know for sure is that I no longer live in my grandmother's world.  I am a dinosaur, and I am facing the extinction of my species.  I love books that I can hold in my hand, like the twenty-year-old worn out children's books that I read to my babies.  I enjoy passing around family pictures (with my family, not Facebook) and telling stories that have only particular meaning to us.  I like to go to the mailbox and get mail, and open envelops with return addresses, and read real birthday cards with handwritten notes inside the front cover.  And I love my collection of trunks filled with stories.  Even though I try to blog at least once or twice a month, I much prefer to write my private journal entries with pencil and paper...which I do on a daily basis. When I do blog, I always try to elevate the purpose of the Tomorrow Trunk to that occasional visit with my grandmother when we shared a special story.

Today, my world and the world of my children is stuffed to capacity with TMI...that's what my kids call it.  Too much information ~ an exploitation of daily life which dilutes the best of today.  When there is too much of everything every day, then nothing that is personal seems special or sacred…not even our private thoughts.  Personally, I don't want to know what people are doing, thinking or ‘tweeting’ every minute of the day, nor do I want to view a thousand pictures or videos during the process. When all that hodgepodge of junk is removed or lifted out, then the rare is found tucked away underneath ~ the best of today.

And one final note…I disagree with that editorial assistant from Simon and Schuster.  I do not agree that the problem with the Tomorrow Trunk is that “the manuscript includes both notes from an adult and stories for a child” or that “the appeal of the collection would be lost on both groups.”  I think that the notes and the stories are the appeal of the Tomorrow Trunk, and I still envision children everywhere carrying around their own Tomorrow Trunks full of stories.

Dianne ; )

A special note of thanks to Aunt Delsie, Kay and Durwood who made yesterday so special.  Whoo! So many stories, so little time!  Thanks for letting us take pictures of all the trunks!

My Aunt Hilda's Trunk

Miss Mellie Nassar's Trunk (our neighbor)