"A Frank Lesson" by Janet K. Baxter
– a corresponding empathy
A passing of letters and a lingering regard for their writer are remembered, and decades later treasured for their inspiration .
Janet K. Baxter lives in Kings Mountain, North Carolina and is a member of the Charlotte Writer’s Club. Her stories "Horse Whispering for the Average Woman" appeared in Exploring (2019) and “Southern Blues” appeared in That Southern Thing (2020) from the Personal Story Publishing Project. Retired as Director of Special Education at the University of North Caroline-Charlotte, Janet enjoys her grandchildren and all the horses, dogs, and cats that populate her “mini-estate.” Janet's hobbies include horse riding and training, crocheting, yoga and tai chi, and letter-writing.
Author’s Talk
A Frank Lesson is a short piece of a longer tale sharing the pen pal relationship between myself and a kind, gentle soul, Frank. We wrote newsy letters back-and-forth for six years, slowly getting to know one another in a friendly and neighborly way. Frank shared that he wrote to many people whom he knew. He admitted he rarely received many replies and was, therefore, quite delighted with our correspondence.
Janet K. Baxter
Looking back at those letters, beside learning about Frank and his life, I find tidbits of wisdom that he shared about life’s journey, handling challenges, growing older, and dealing with declining health. This particular version of this tale focuses on utilizing and developing your talents and maintaining perspective when Frank was isolated at home in his later years.
Each of us have stories to share that are interesting, poignant, and worthy of passing on to friends and family. I have found Frank’s story to be one that I continue to return to for inspiration and which encourages me to pause, remember, and reflect on my life’s journey during those six, tumultuous, and chaotic years as I was a mother of four, working full time, volunteering with professional organizations, and then starting graduate school for my doctorate degree.
What I hope this story does for the reader, is to open the possibility of developing relationships with people who are elderly or living alone and then finding these relationships rewarding and possibly, life-changing. I can’t imagine my life now without Franks’ influence, support, humor, and kindness. In fact, for the past three years, I write monthly letters to my grandchildren and, although, I rarely get a reply, I find my conversations, when I do see them, are much more open and robust. For those with grandchildren, I encourage you to try it.
As Frank told me once: I enjoy being nice to people. After all, we’re here for only a short visit…. just passing through. My stay here is a little longer than some and will be shorter than others, but for as long as I’m on this earth, and not under it, I’ll continue to try to make life a bit more pleasant for others. There are many who deserve it.
